2007 — National 2nd Place Winner:
Tori
Spearman, South Carolina
The issue of which is more influential, compassion
or violence, has faced man over eons. But how can man even debate
this issue when some of the greatest people in history have shown
the importance of compassion?
The issue of which is more influential, compassion or violence,
has faced man over eons. But how can man even debate this issue
when some of the greatest people in history have shown the importance
of compassion?
Alfred Nobel is an example of a person who saw the importance
of compassion over violence. This might appear ironic to us once
we learn that he was not only the founder of the Nobel Peace Prize,
but also the inventor of dynamite. He saw that the violent explosiveness
of dynamite may prove to be effective, but he saw more effectiveness
in compassion. Nobel chose to give special recognition to those
who sought peace: the ultimate end of compassionate thought and
behavior. He found compassion to be more satisfying. “If
I have a thousand ideas and only one turns out to be good I am
satisfied.” Employing compassion instead of violence, man
may fail a couple of times but in the end it is more than worth
the effort.
Nonviolence is the strongest weapon of compassion. Gandhi believed
in the power of nonviolence. “Nonviolence is not to be used
ever as the shield of the coward. It is the weapon of the brave.”
It is the brave who will use nonviolence to help bring positive
change in the world. Gandhi pushed for compassion instead of violence
because he believed that “We must be the change we want
to see in the world”. If compassion is the way people want
to rule the world then people must first demonstrate it.
It is the compassion that people remember. While, it is hard to
forget the violence that people have seen or suffered from, it
is the compassion that will be celebrated and be inspirational
to others. The best example of this is the civil rights movement.
Martin Luther King Jr. was probably the most influential person
of this movement. It was Martin Luther King who said “Returning
violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness
to a night already devoid of stars... Hate cannot drive out hate:
only love can do that.” Martin Luther King Jr. believed
that compassion was much stronger because compassion is the only
force that can over come violence. Violence breeds more violence,
people must learn to show love to solve some of the conflicts
in the world.
Compassion is the strongest forces in the world. But people must
learn to use it just like they must learn to crawl before they
can walk. In order to solve some of the sins in the world everyone
must learn to love and lend a helping hand rather than to employ
violence and hate. Once people are able to do that the world might
be able to reach the ultimate goal of peace.
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