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Admiration

Do I contradict myself,? I am large. I contain multitudes.

In the above quote from Walt Whitman we see one of the dilemmas of mankind expressed. No man is absolutely all good or all evil. Even the greatest of men are flawed, and there is no man so evil that some good does not emerge from him. Because human nature is imperfect, it is often possible to admire individuals even when we deeply disagree with them on various issues. There are many examples of this in history and at the present time. In history, if we look at Richard M. Nixon, we see a man who I greatly admire for his foreign policy. He helped open China and Russia, was responsible for helping reduce nuclear weapons, and his actions helped pave the way for the spread of democracy and free markets in the Soviet Union. However, Nixon was a man with many of his own demons and his paranoia drove him to commit crimes against the Constitution of the U.S., such as obstruction of justice. However, when one looks at his foreign policy it is virtually impossible not to admire the man for his impressive achievements. This is possible even though I deeply disagree with his actions where the secret bombing of Cambodia and the Watergate affair were concerned.

Even though I admire Nixon it seems like a contradiction to admire a man when many of his actions were ones with which I deeply disagree. However, if we keep the quote by Whitman in mind it gives us a more realistic perspective on human nature. Even a Saint like Mother Theresa has some flaws and carries out actions with which individuals deeply disagree. In her particular case, there are varying degrees of speculation about the use of funds contributed to her religious organization. Yet, if we were to shun individuals whom we admire merely because they possess human flaws, we would certainly admire few or no individuals. This is because we typically admir

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Admiration. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 14:50, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1684939.html