#21

Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.

Quotes Included Above Prompt:

Some say that high achievers ― people who reach their ambitious goals because of their determination and skills ― always get ahead at the expense of others. When one political candidate is elected, others are defeated; when someone wins in any kind of competitive event, others lose. But this view of achievers is too negative. By improving the world around them and providing an example for all to follow, achievers benefit others as well as themselves.

Assignment:

Do the actions of high achievers ... (part 1 of prompt)
... benefit all people? (part 2 of prompt)

Brainstorm:

This question asks you to evaluate the social benefits of those who achieve great things. Examples include people like Steve Jobs, Barack Obama, and Mark Zuckerberg. Did the actions of these people benefit all people, or were their actions mostly beneficial only to themselves. Also consider movies like ‘The Wolf of Wall Street.’ The protagonist in the film is also a high achiever; did his actions benefit everyone?

In order to respond affirmatively (that the actions of high achievers benefit all people), consider the following ideas:

-High achievers in business often create products that improve everyone’s lives; high achievers in politics often positively affect everyone

-High achievement, by definition, often means achieving things that create a better world

In order to respond negatively, consider the following ideas:

-In politics, there must always be losing candidate(s); in business, there will always be losing products and businesses that fail because of the success of another

-High achievers often need to undermine and negatively manipulate others in order to achieve their success