On acceptance
Some people believe it is best to accept a bad situation, such as an unsatisfactory job or shortage of money. Others argue that it is better to try and improve such situations.
Discuss both these views and give your opinion.
Some people think that certain unpleasant circumstances in life are to be accepted. While this view may make sense as a religious way of life, I find myself agreeing with those who continuously seek to improve their situations.
Acceptance is believed to bear the fruit of contentment. This stems from one of the core beliefs of Buddhism, that acceptance of worldly sufferings would reduce feelings of envy. Such yearnings beyond our conditions entail greed, a catalyst for our discontentment and the tendency to sin. Once people start to yearn, they are propelled to realize their desired goals with all means available at their disposal, sometimes unfortunately even at the expense of others. This may explain the high crime rates in many third world countries where standards of living are low and people’s needs are not being met. The unemployed and the impoverished might resort to stealing, mugging or even murder. As a result, accepting one’s status quo, albeit meager livelihoods or a job that pays a pittance, eliminates feelings of jealousy, puts struggling individuals’ minds at rest, thereby increasing society’s overall contentment and arguably social security.
However, I contend that the determination to rise above one’s difficult circumstance is precisely what drives mankind forward. Discontentment with unpleasant reality pushes people to act upon it to better the situation. Throughout history, there have been instances where a particular gender or race was considered lesser, treated atrociously and therefore suffered unthinkable conditions. One clear example is when the African were brutally exploited and enslaved to serve the so-called white supremacy under the Apartheid system. Another instance is about women worldwide being expected to be decorative and subservient to men, never allowed to be schooled, to work and to vote until the nineteenth century. These cases of oppression would not have ended well had they not tried to escape their afflictions. At present, even though racism and sexism have not been totally eradicated, both black people and women can finally enjoy their hard-earned rights.
In conclusion, albeit sometimes good to accept our unfavorable situations to mitigate feelings of greed, I still believe striving to improve one’s lot is much wiser as cumulative efforts would almost certainly culminate in changes for the better.
(369 words)
VOCABULARY EXPLAINED
bear the fruit of contentment
core beliefs of Buddhism
acceptance of worldly sufferings
envy
entail greed,
catalyst for our discontentment
tendency to sin.
realize their desired goals
at the expense
resort to
status quo
meager livelihoods
pittance
Discontentment
lesser
treated atrociously
suffered unthinkable conditions
brutally exploited
white supremacy
subservient to men
afflictions
totally eradicated
improve one’s lot
cumulative efforts
culminate in
