unlimited

Here is my 11/12 essay =). Remember, I only had 25 minutes to do it in.

"Alone we can afford to be wholly whatever we are and to feel whatever we feel absolutely. With others we are busy wondering: what does my companion see or think of this, and what do I think of it? The original impact of our feelings gets lost or is reduced"

-Adapted from May Sarton, The Rewards of Living a Solitary Life

Assignment: Does worrying too much about other people's opinions prevent us from seeing things clearly? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.

One of the greatest ills of society today is the habit of comparing ourselves to others. Open any newspaper and you will be greeted with a multitude of advertisements for weight loss schemes, beauty products, cosmetics, and so on ad nauseum. There is a sizable market for these goods and services because there are many who are unsatisfied with their looks, simply because their appearance does not conform to the public's opinion of 'beauty'. And this dissatisfaction is not limited to beauty. Rather, it extends to almost every conceivable part of human life - possessions, happiness, achievements, ecetera. It seems much of society is obsessed with the opinion of others.

While it has its place, the judgement of others must not become the be all and end all of our lives. We must not lose for ourselves the wonders of solitude. It would be wise to step back occasionally from the demanding clamour of the world, to examine our thoughts and prejudices. To me, being alone is a rare delight. It is a time when I can withdraw - however briefly - from the stresses of the world. It allows me to reflect upon what I have heard, to sift the wheat from the chaff, and decide how I should conduct my life.

History, too, has been filled great men and women who dared to be alone with themselves. There have been many who risked public scorn, because they believed they had a better way. Take Thomas Edison. Here was a man who failed thousands of times in his effort to invent and efficient source of light to replace the paraffin lamp. His detractors mocked him. His friends doubted him. One even asked why he did not just give up. His reply? "I have not failed 10000 times. I have learnt 10000 ways a lightbulb cannot be made."

Think of what the world owe's this man. We have extended our useful hours far into the dark hours of night. We are no longer a slave to blackness, but masters of light.

As Max Lucado put it, "He who would conduct an orchestra must turn his back to the crowd." Let us, therefore, take some time to be alone. We are better company than we think.

In typing it, I noticed there were a few errors... I spelled "ecetera" wrongly, it should be "et cetera". But I forgot. In the first sentence of the third paragraph, there's a missing "with". First sentence fourth paragraph, "owe's" should not have the apostrophe.

On the other hand, only 25 minutes, remember? So it was good enough for a 6 and a 5. Ehehe.