Essay #1
For centuries, children in Sunday school have been confused over the lesson “it is better to give than to receive.” Everyone agrees that it sounds really nice, but to be honest, hardly any of them are convinced. Receiving an ice cream cone, a new toy, or an extra $10 certainly seems a lot better than giving those things away! That lesson is hard to learn for one simple reason. When we give to others, we lose things that are easy to understand: money, stuff, free time. But we also lose things when we focus on ourselves – the things that truly make us human.
As an example of how this is true, think about the teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary the day a shooter entered their building. Many were shot in the act of shielding their students, leading them into hiding places, or warning others of the danger. If they had cared for themselves more than for others, they would have run for the woods behind the school at the first sign of danger, much like gazelles when a wolf steps out of the bushes. Through that kind of self-centered action, those teachers would have come out …show more content…
More often than not, many risks are involved and many things are put at stake, such as pride or dignity, and sometimes the outcome isn’t even known. The unknown is a scary idea to grasp. People are often afraid of it. However, it is when the greatest risks aren’t taken that one loses more than what might’ve been lost had one taken a chance.
Many major events in history were risks. The invasion of Normandy by the Allies in World War II was thought to be a suicide mission. Soldiers stormed the beaches believing that day to be their last, and for very many it was. However, D-Day ended up being a major turning point in the war that led to the eventual Allied forces’ victory. Though D-Day may not have been the sole reason for it, the Second World War was almost entirely won because great risks were taken, and in the end, good conquered
For centuries, children in Sunday school have been confused over the lesson “it is better to give than to receive.” Everyone agrees that it sounds really nice, but to be honest, hardly any of them are convinced. Receiving an ice cream cone, a new toy, or an extra $10 certainly seems a lot better than giving those things away! That lesson is hard to learn for one simple reason. When we give to others, we lose things that are easy to understand: money, stuff, free time. But we also lose things when we focus on ourselves – the things that truly make us human.
As an example of how this is true, think about the teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary the day a shooter entered their building. Many were shot in the act of shielding their students, leading them into hiding places, or warning others of the danger. If they had cared for themselves more than for others, they would have run for the woods behind the school at the first sign of danger, much like gazelles when a wolf steps out of the bushes. Through that kind of self-centered action, those teachers would have come out …show more content…
More often than not, many risks are involved and many things are put at stake, such as pride or dignity, and sometimes the outcome isn’t even known. The unknown is a scary idea to grasp. People are often afraid of it. However, it is when the greatest risks aren’t taken that one loses more than what might’ve been lost had one taken a chance.
Many major events in history were risks. The invasion of Normandy by the Allies in World War II was thought to be a suicide mission. Soldiers stormed the beaches believing that day to be their last, and for very many it was. However, D-Day ended up being a major turning point in the war that led to the eventual Allied forces’ victory. Though D-Day may not have been the sole reason for it, the Second World War was almost entirely won because great risks were taken, and in the end, good conquered