The Importance of Compassion and Determination by Trisha

The Importance of Compassion and Determination by Trisha - December 2018 Scholarship Essay

The Nobel Prize is an award intended to reward individuals and organizations that perform extraordinary work under categories like physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, economics, and promoting peace. With a review of past winners and nominees of a Nobel Prize, each seems to possess traits that move them to use his or her talent and skills to better humankind. Fortunately, the goal to better the lives of human beings align perfectly with the purpose of the Nobel Prizes and its founder Alfred Nobel.

With this understanding, if I were a committee member that awarded the Nobel Prize, I would want the recipients to be both compassionate and determinate. I believe that to make any truly beneficial impact in the world we live in, we must first have compassion for one another. We must be able to see one another as humans first and foremost, and then be willing to sympathize with the misfortunes of our fellow humans. Of course, however, having compassion means much more than having the ability to sympathize. It also includes the ability to take the necessary action to help those who need it.

Certainly, though taking the necessary action is not always the easiest to do – this is when the determinate quality is most useful. Attempting to challenge what has already been put in place is a tough task, one that is best dealt with a determinate spirit. This spirit disallows the potential recipient to shy away from improving upon what already exists or creating something completely new. This is not to say that having determination is the same as lacking the fear of failure or self-doubt; it is being able to experience these feelings and choosing to stand firm in your purpose despite their presence. Lastly, true determination includes the understanding that something is only ever impossible until it is done.