2013 SASS EL Prelims P1 SectC w Ans

St Andrew’s Secondary School – Prelims 2013 Sec 4Express Q1: What is your idea of excellence? Excellence—we often ask ourselves, “What are the qualities which embody such a virtue?” Is it courage to stand up for our cause? Is it merely being the best in what we do, to be the apex of society? Or is it the complete encapsulation of humanity and humanity’s melange of values in one body? Personally, I am in favour with all. Firstly, the courage to be at ease with ourselves and all our little flaws is tantamount to having excellence. The moral courage and determination to stand up for what you believe in—even when the odds are against you—is excellence. In the past, The Earth was believed to be the centre of the universe: that all things revolved around us. When Galileo debunked the belief set up for years by philosophers and polymaths, he was met with ridicule and imprisonment. Despite the odds, he never stopped trusting his judgement. It is his observation that brought all of mankind out from the dark and brought humanity forward into the bright light of knowledge. Only with courage to stand up for your cause can one be seen to possess true excellence. Next, brilliance and excellence are mutually inclusive, as I see it. One cannot propagate while the other dies; they are intertwined. The very root word ‘excel’ means ‘to do well above the pack’. It is such a quality that one cannot replace. The greatest scientific mind of the 20th century — Albert Einstein — is the epitome of brilliance. Without his intellect, the world would not be where it is today: sending shuttles into space and understanding the miracles of science in our world. His contribution to humanity is what makes him excellent. He possessed intelligence way above the average, he excelled above us and that is excellence. Lastly, the most abstract idea of ‘excellence’ is to just be human, or like how some Christians I know would say: “To live in the image of God and do good to humanity.” It entails allowing the best in our human qualities to shine through the darkness of life and to fulfil one’s life. This is what actually completes Maslow’s hierachy of needs: self-fulfilment. It is my belief that excellence is doing what you love and concurrently feeling self-fulfilled and complete at the end of each day. Having a strong purpose to wake up every morning and to be a blessing to someone is in its way ‘excellence’. At the end of the day, it matters most what you think of yourself and when you live life to the fullest in serving the needs of others, you would feel excellent. Excellence is what gives posterity a better life. It is also our duty to ensure posterity understands the truest meaning of the word. My idea of excellence is: to dare to be different and to be self-fulfilled. (475 words) Written by: Chong Yao (4SA) Edited by: LSF

Qn 2: “I can’t be myself!” is a cry among some teenagers. What can be done to deal with this situation?