Reader poll: what do you want to do in life?
Take a look at "Should I do something great before I leave this world?" on Yahoo Answers. I’d love to see your answers here– leave a comment on this post (meaning my blog).
Do you think that intelligent people (or athletic people, or musical people, or…) have an added obligation to use their talents to "do something great"?
“Computer say “no.”
That link is closed to new answers.
Thing is, the ability to do good in the world has very little to do with a person’s personal talents. The only difference is that famous do-gooders get more media coverage than the thousands of day to dat volunteers who make an equal committment.
So, your question is framed as a deceptively irrelevant subclause. Everybody should pitch in to make the world a better place.
That being said, if people are very good at something else, the expectation that they will, or should, be equally talented at world improvement can lead to inflated expectations and resentment.
Comment by Lab Lemming — November 22, 2006 @ 10:32 pm
It’s interesting– some of the Yahoo commenters interpreted “doing something great” as being opposed to “making an impact in the lives of people around you.” As in, don’t worry about being Mother Teresa, just have a good family life. People see “doing something great” as something having to do with widespread societal acclaim and the appreciation of strangers. Whereas as Lab Lemming says, everyone should pitch in to make the world a better place, including locally (like your department!) I think this should all be part of the “doing something great.”
Comment by drshellie — November 22, 2006 @ 11:30 pm
Sometimes making an impact is less about what one could directly achieve, and more about inspiring masses of people to explore their capabilities in contributing to the betterment of their fellow human being.
This must be something grand and spectacular preformed tastefully, (or even merely presentable as such). Maybe this is the added obligation of the talented people.
Comment by PLK — November 23, 2006 @ 1:45 am