GRE Issue Topic 134

Sample 1:

The nineteenth century transcendentalist writer, Ralph Waldo Emerson, wrote that a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. Adhering to one's own beliefs can result in a stubborn refusal to consider other points of view. Ignoring or denigrating the beliefs of others, can lead to persecuting individuals or entire groups of people. On the other hand, compromising can lead to a watered–down version of a plan or goal, leaving both sides in a conflict unsatisfied. Depending on the situation, either steadfastness regarding one’s beliefs or reaching a compromise may be the correct action.

In Germany during the 1930s, Adolph Hitler rose to power and began to invade neighboring countries in an effort to establish the supremacy of the Aryan race. His unshakable belief that those with Aryan blood were superior to all other races led to the systematic roundup and murder of other groups including Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, and the mentally defective in concentration camps. Hitler's beliefs were so entrenched and his rhetoric so impassioned that he created a legion of followers who carried out his orders. His refusal to compromise his beliefs led to his conquering many countries in central Europe and, ultimately, to his demise.

On a much smaller scale, the actions of the city council in my hometown have created an impasse between city management and local businesses. The council has devised a plan to alleviate a budget deficit for the coming year, reduce expenditures for years to come, and add properties to the tax rolls. It put up for sale by bid all of the municipally–owned parking lots in the downtown area. The building and business owners downtown did not know of the plan until the list of properties appeared in the local newspaper. In a special city council meeting, the mayor admitted that the council assumed that the building owners would purchase the lots abutting their buildings. At least two of the lots are protected by the urban renewal plan from the late 1960's, so they were removed from the list. The building owners fronted by the other lots spoke about the inadvisability of selling them, citing the complexity of both buying and maintaining lots shared by multiple owners. Determined to reduce the city's responsibility for the lots, the mayor devised a new plan that requires people who park downtown for the entire workday to purchase annual parking permits. Again, building and business owners spoke to the council about the financial hardship that the new plan would put on workers downtown and the logistics of allocating spaces to preserve access to retail businesses. The issue has consumed way too much time and energy for the small savings that the city would see. In fact, the city's hiring someone to enforce parking regulations would offset the savings. Each side is more concerned about being right than understanding the other’s point of view. Adhering to one’s point of view, in this case, prevents further progress in solving the city’s budget issues and creates resentment from business owners toward the council.

Adhering to one's beliefs is essential when attempting to redress wrongs committed against humanity. America today would be a very different place had Martin Luther King, Jr. compromised his belief that all men, regardless of color, were entitled to the same rights and freedoms. When he spoke on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, fifty years ago, he did not proclaim that only some black men should be treated with equality or that only members of some religions should be treated with equality, but that black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics all should be granted the same freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution. In the same manner, Gandhi also adhered to his belief in freedom from the oppression when he demonstrated against the British rule in India. Despite their use of peaceful protest, both King and Gandhi were assassinated for their unwillingness to compromise their beliefs. Both men knew the inherent dangers of their actions but were not deterred from their objectives.

Although it may be painful to compromise one’s beliefs, the most significant decisions in America’s history are most often the result of conflicting sides’ willingness to concede at least a portion of their own plan. America’s founding fathers compromised to find a balance between federal and state’s rights, creating the legislature we still have today. The Missouri Compromise limited the expansion of slave states in America. When compromise limits the benefits of people affected by an idea or action, it should be abandoned in favor of adhering to one’s beliefs.

Sample 2:

There may have been many instances in our lives when we have faced the dilemma to either compromise our beliefs or to adhere to them. How does one make this choice? It all depends on your principles in life. You can choose to select the easier way out, which would be achieved by compromising on your beliefs. Adhering to your beliefs in the face of opposition is a more difficult task. Nevertheless, irrespective of the situation you are in, it always pays out in the end to adhere to your beliefs. At the first glance it does look as though a compromise would result in benefits, but in the longer run this compromise may prove to be harmful not only to your image but also to your subconscious. However, this line of thought holds true if your beliefs conform to the norms laid down by society, otherwise the opposite would be true, that is, adhering to an immoral belief will be harmful for you.

We all have our religious beliefs ingrained in us since childhood. Everyone is taught by his parents and his community to carry out his religious practices and rituals. If you belong to a religion where you are not permitted to have non-vegetarian food, would your sub-conscious allow you to have a chicken burger if you are offered the same by a person who does not belong to your community? Even if you do have it, what will be the repercussions? The effects of such a compromise may not be immediate, but they are bound to follow up as you move ahead in life. You may be ostracized by your community, you will be admonished by your parents and you may even regret it later on in life. Therefore, the better option would be to politely refuse the offer and adhere to your religious beliefs.

Adhering to your beliefs will rarely lead to any harm unless your belief does not conform to the norms of society. If you are of the belief that there is nothing wrong in taking bribes and you choose to adhere to your beliefs, then it is obvious that this will be extremely harmful for you in the long run. However, if you are of the strong opinion that one should never accept bribery and you have chosen to be honest in your profession, then compromising your belief will definitely land you into trouble. Patriots who stuck to their beliefs that their country should be free from the clutches of an imperialistic power succeeded in freeing their country. The freedom struggle of India is one such example. Could this have been possible if the freedom fighters had compromised on their beliefs? This compromise would have weakened their principles and they would not have had the strength to fight against all odds for the freedom of their country.

Your beliefs define who you are. Your identity and image are shaped by the beliefs that you follow in life. It is necessary to be flexible also in life, but wherever a choice has to be made between right and wrong; one should always follow the right path irrespective of what your beliefs are. If your beliefs are morally correct, then you cannot be harmed by adhering to your beliefs, but if your beliefs are in contrast to those of the society, then adhering to your beliefs may land you in big trouble. Therefore, it is imperative that you choose your beliefs carefully and adhere to them if you want to keep out of harm’s way.