As I thought about this paper for some time, I began to wonder what I thought was greatness. I have my belief, but I realized that my belief might not be the same as everyone’s. If you were to ask 10 different people what makes a great person, each would probably describe what they value most, and what they most want to be like, therefore they have a bias to what is a great person. This is something that probably applies to greatness and how we define it.
The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to pull myself away from myself. I didn’t want my personal bias of what I want to be have an influence in my definition; trying to avoid your personal bias is no easy task when writing. The question “What is greatness” needs to apply to all platforms, not just to people, performances, entertainment or whatever we prefer.
What I believe to have found can apply to all fields, places and people. It is something that may come down to the opinion of one, but it can also be decided by many. Greatness is something that is of high quality and leaves a lasting impact, impression or change on most that it comes in contact with.
If Joseph Smith would not have done anything because of the First Vision, would it have truly been great? If Thomas Edison kept the light bulb to himself, would we still be running off of lamps? What if your favorite author never published one book, but kept their thoughts in a journal only for themselves? Greatness needs to be widespread –at least enough that people can be influenced.
On the contrary, popularity does not make something great. We have all probably seen Napoleon Dynamite and can quote 5 different lines from the movie (if you vote for me, all of your wildest dreams will come true). Does this make the movie great, Oscar worthy, or even close to having a good script? I would argue it would not. Quality is in the hands of the judge, of which we all are to some degree or another.
In today’s world, we are always looking for the next big thing, for the new and improved version, or the future leader. How many times in our lives have we heard that “he is the best college football player ever”, or “isn’t this the greatest movie of our generation?”. While James Cameron has two movies in that discussion, can we really judge the greatness of a movie the same decade it came out (or the director for that matter)? Anyone who knows film can now talk about the greatness of movies such as The Wizard of Oz, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Gone with the Wind. This is because we are far enough removed to see the influences they have had in the movie world, as well as everyday life.
So before we hail Justin Bieber or the Jonas Brothers as the best musicians ever, or the Twilight Saga (I don’t feel this deserves to be italicized) as the best story of our time in film or literature, let’s sit back, take a breather, and wait another 30 years. Chances are there will be another “best ever” for us to talk about. What you do and how you view it is your choice though, because greatness truly is in the eye of the beholder.
Your paper is made more interesting and convincing by all the examples you give and your analyzing of them. There's something about your writing that mine lacks, good voice, seems personable.
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