After reading the short story, "Harrison Bergeron", by Kurt Vonnegut and the article, "Losing is Good for You" by Ashley Merryman, I noticed one particular thing that makes humans humans. That thing is that humans are meant to lose. It's in history, it's in modern society all around us, it's even in literature. The point that both Merryman and Vonnegut are trying to make is that society in general would be a very lazy, and dis inspirational place if everybody won. For instance, in the short story, George is depicted to be a very smart person, he probably tries hard and works hard to gain his knowledge. Hazel, on the other hand is not a very bright person, and probably doesn't work as hard to gain her knowledge. Giving the handicap is the same thing as giving a trophy to everyone. The hard workers get it, and the not so hard workers get it. Then the people who work hard and put dedication into their passion, begin to believe that they don't have to work hard to win or succeed. If everyone felt this way, we would have no Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, who worked their butts off to get to their position. Because, "if the person who slacks is being treated the same way I am, whats stopping me from slacking off too?". The main point I am trying to make with this post is not that people who work hard and succeed should not get acknowledged, but it is that the people who don't work hard and fail shouldn't get acknowledged.
"Losing is Good for You" article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/opinion/losing-is-good-for-you.html?_r=1&
