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| Smart | 51% | 100 votes | Total: 198 votes | |
| Cowardly | 49% | 98 votes |
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Add to FavoritesObviously this question has no superior answer as it all depends upon the circumstances involved. Such a broad statement as it makes, either way, is obviously flawed in many situations. It is thus not better to always take the easy way or always take the hard way but it depends upon the circumstances one finds oneself presented with.
If you are one of those who worship upstandingness, determination and sporting nature then of course taking the easy way out appears at first sight to be decadent, weak, impulsive and positively uncivilized. But then again one could argue that upstandingness, determination and sporting nature are all products of uncivilized conditions and that civilization is if anything the champion of easy living and progressive reform to make life simpler.
So living easily could be seen as being old fashioned (I.e before the days of complexity and confusion) or modern (I.e in this present age of anaesthetics and old age pensions). Thus taking the easy way out should not be glorified or spat upon, as it is worthy not always of either treatment. Let us examine a sample case.
Person A attends a school and is faced with a difficult mathematics exam. Now Person A happens to know a Person B, who has the answers to said exam hidden and would, given a small fee, let Person A access them. Should Person A cheat on the exam?
This largely depends upon your relative perspective of the situation and the situation of Person A. Now if Person A was usually a hard working studious person who had of late had some family trouble or some other issue which interrupted that persons usual hard working nature, surely it is not such a bad thing, for Person A is not really lying and pretending to be worthier mentally than he or she really is, rather they are making up for an issue at present facing their situation.
Whereas if Person A was not of the hard working type, and was of the lazy or perhaps stupid variety, whether or not this is their own fault, it could also be considered the superior alternative to cheat on the exam. After all, they have little to look forward to in a career, so why not at least save themselves from the disgrace of being called a failure by their friends?
Now it is not always the best thing to do to take the easy way. For instance if you are playing a video game and use a cheat code, it makes the game less challenging. But in many situations I would say the best thing to do is to take the easy way out. After all is not that why labor saving devices were invented? Is that not why we have comfortable easy living in our wonderful modern age, albeit somewhat ridden with the unworthy influences of our scientific context? Surely it would be positively archaic to state otherwise, and that the hard way out is superior, one would think.
Learn more about this author, Mark Waybill.
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Cowardly
This is a very broad and generalized question. "Taking the easy way out" is an excuse for adults to use when they have given up on something they were trying to accomplish. It is an insult to those of us who continue to work hard for months, even years, to obtain what we want. It could also be called "settling" for something less than you originally want because you have given up on obtaining it.
Humanity today is so bomb-barded with new and advanced technology that we have become accustomed to doing things the "easy" way. If a business owner's computer breaks down, you can literally watch them spiral downward toward into a panic attack in a matter of seconds. Even things such as cell phones have become a need in households all around the world.
When someone chooses the easy way out it is seen by many people, myself included, as not only cowardly but weak. Adults today are too quick to settle on things that they have dreamed of their whole life. When a student graduates college they immediately start looking for their dream job, instead of realizing that it still requires work to become successful. Once they realize this, then they settle for some job that they don't even like, making money that they can hardly keep in their pocket.
What example does this set for our future generations? If we break and take the easy way out, just because things aren't going as smoothly as we hoped, we will only be paving the path for our kids to walk on. We will show them how to give up everything they worked for once things get a little rough.
Taking the "easy" way out has become second nature in our society and that really is shameful. There are still people who have worked hard and honestly to obtain what they want in life. When did hard work become so underrated?
For those people that work hard and diligently, they are the ones who look down at people who choose the "easy" path. It is insulting to these people simply because it is weakness in their eyes.
When someone has the courage and strength to work hard and believe that one day their hard work will be rewarded, they should be the ones who receive any sort of "easy" road. Most people like this refuse to take anything that they haven't worked hard for. It is difficult for them to see someone work hard for years, and then settle for something less than what they were working for.
So "taking the easy way out" is not only cowardly, but weak. Hold tight to your dreams and ambitions. It will pay off, and when it does you will be glad that you worked hard and honestly, instead of settling for something less than what you dreamed of.
Learn more about this author, Darlene Busbee.
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