[darksyndrem]

Alright, I've gone over this a lot today, and I think I'm finished. There's been a lot of editing in it, so I'm going to post the revised version here.

"True greatness and individual accomplishment are two factors which must be explored when examining absolute perfection. Perfection, requiring willpower and mental endurance, shows power and freedom that some people have never dreamt of. In fact, few believe they will ever achieve the heights of perfection. Not finding that perfection is due to a number of things, including unbelief, faithlessness, and most importantly, negligence. For one would not achieve excellence, if he were to simply stand and gawk upon his inabilities, overlooking and underestimating passive potential. True greatness requires intimate passion and desire.

h true greatness demands the prerequisites of belief and passion, there is still a definitive factor that is missing from the equation, and that is people. Though one requisite is not more important than another, perfection cannot be acquired without the aiding presence of others. For example: one cannot learn a skill such as blacksmithing without a master to teach the Apprentice Smith how, where, and when to hit the metal. More importantly, learning to blacksmith would also require the use of a forge and anvil, which would further involve the presence of others. A pianist cannot be taught the art of playing unless someone was there to build or tune the piano. However, the concepts of apprenticeship and material providers are merely two examples of the complex adaptive system that has lead to technological advances in humanity, and do not even begin to show the depth of the necessity of people. People are likely the most important component to growth and change - not physically, but mentally and emotionally. They are the aiding tools by which we grow stronger, in that through use of these tools we are able to seek out and find our own personal greatness in its most intimate form.

The greatness that is achieved by emotional growth is a necessity that is not easily found. It is so perceivably inaccessible that some believe it can only be bestowed by a god or some sort of higher power (which I would agree with to an extent, in the sense that a god can give opportunities to obtain this level of greatness; it can then be taken or rejected by an individual), but either way, the beauty of perfection seems exclusive to few individuals. Aside from the lack of opportunity that is given, I have yet to describe the greatness for which mental and emotional strength is required. the greatness I am referring to is better defined as wholeness that carries a sense of peace. It is a life that includes flaws, but can still be considered flawless by the individual who has come to accept these flaws. However, these flaws are not seen as failure, but as a way to improve oneself. This sort of wholeness is what I long for most of all. It is the hope that one day; I may reach the inexplicable height of mental strength and never fall back into flaws.

However, there is not only a common and literal sense of the need of people or perfection within making decisions. there is also something in between the two extremes of apprenticeship and self-purification. Instead of finding greatness within people or requiring people as a resource to achieve greatness, there is a level in which people are an outside force that affects our own abilities. Johannes Sebastian Bach, an accomplished composer of the Baroque, had two brothers who were both composers. but while all three siblings shared the ability to compose music, Bach gained the renown of being talented during his life, and even in our time 300 years later. What characteristics separated Bach from his brothers? It could have been that he was simply more fortunate than the other two; however, it is much more likely to have been that he not only composed pieces for royalty, but he did so under pressure. These people may have been supervising over his work, assuring that Bach completed his tasks in a timely manner. Social pressure was a motivator in his life, and in this sense, it is possible that he was able to find greatness and achieve perfection in his compositions. His being pressed is often interpreted as only a frustration and cause of stress in his life, although it propelled him to be more than an exceptional artist.

As it was stated before, many things may be required to achieve greatness, but it is certainly people that is needed most of all. Though you cannot obtain greatness without any of these components, people are needed most because they are they key to true greatness, according to Hannah Arendt. Though the requisite is not always hard to obtain, at times it can be nearly impossible. The difficulty in finding greatness depends on how deep the necessity may be. I have stated three levels of the requirements of people; a literal sense that may even be considered common logic, an entirely philosophical sense that is not necessarily believed by many people, and a sense that can be found in between the two. It is certain that the need for people is quite diverse. And I do believe it is the thought that people are to help us grow in maturity and strength that is most valuable. This growth is, indeed, something that I wish to value more than everything I know. Finding perfection within me is what I long for in my journey as a person, and as an artist."