The following essay written by Parker Blair won this year’s Chilkat Valley News Raymond Menaker Writing Award. Four Haines seniors were given an hour and a half to write an essay in response to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote, “Every man I meet is superior to me in some way and in that, I learn from him.” While all of the essays contained thoughtful, well-written responses, we judged Blair’s to be the most succinct, clear and focused.
By Parker Blair
Ralph Waldo Emerson does a great job at pushing his readers to think beyond what they might already assume to be true. The quote of this essay is no different. It doesn’t just make you think, but also has the possibility to change the way you think. No person on the face of this planet is flawless. Every single man or woman has something that they should work on. It may be difficult for some to admit that they aren’t perfect, but when and if they do, that is when they can truly start bettering themselves.
The quote by Emerson is all about humility and how you can learn from anybody if you have this virtue. This doesn’t necessarily mean learning only positive things like being happier or running faster, but you can also learn what kind of person not to be. Some of the more undesirable traits like spite or hate can be avoided or maybe you can even realize that you are that kind of person so you strive to be better.
No one is ever done learning no matter how old you are or how smart you are. Humility is deemed by some to be the greatest virtue simply because of how hard it is to admit when you are wrong or to admit you aren’t perfect when you’ve been told by your parents or loved ones that you are. “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.” This quote ties in with humility and if you are too stubborn to learn and adapt, you’ll keep failing the same way.