Essay Topic:
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."
--George Bernard Shaw
Assignment:
What type of individual is most likely to cause the world to progress? 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 what you have read, studied, or experienced.
Progress is something that helps our world move forward and ameliorate itself. New inventions come out only when we feel a need for something that we do not have; a perfectly happy man will not have a desire for anything more and hence is not likely to stumble upon this path of discoveries and inventions. Thomas Alva Edison, the brainchild behind the light bulb and Jacob Perkins who invented the refrigerator serve as exemplars for the above statement.
Edison, as a young boy was terrified of the dark. Every night, when he went to sleep, he would wish the sun was still out, and he would force his mother to sit beside him until he was fast asleep. As he grew up, he began toying with the idea of creating something which would provide artificial light at night, something much more efficient than a candle. Edison's strong desire for something to help him battle his fears is what urged him to come up with his genius invention, the light bulb. Today, we cannot imagine our lives without this propitious contraption.
When Mrs. Perkins forced Jacob to finish the last slice of the apple pie (as it would get spoiled if left for the next day), Jacob was so furious that he was determined to come up with something that would obliterate his mother's bothersome penchant for finishing all the food that she had cooked on a particular day. His unreasonable nature led to the brilliant making of the refrigerator, an innovation that is imperative for our survival today.
In conclusion, both the examples mentioned above, highlight the same idea-only those who feel that there is a necessity to change the world and make it suitable to the present day requirements will bring about progress and change. If Edison had been reasonable enough to adapt himself to the darkness at night or if Perkins had agreed to cooperate with his mother, then two of the most important discoveries of the twentieth century would not have taken place. An individual who is content with his possessions and his life will not find a reason to bring about change or progress.
I believe people who are unwilling to accept the world as it is will always try to bring in some changes. Every meaningful innovation is made by some one who was questioned the way things were done. In an age where people are scared to be different, the ones who are courageous enough to be different will take the humanity forward by bringing progress.
