by Lisa Griffiths

Created on: March 12, 2010

Claiming excellence as a final achievement of some act or exercise may be misleading. Excellence as a concept resembles perfection therefore tagging an outcome as such is only subjective at best.

Excellence in its true form as a concept is merely an interpretation by those who have strong bias towards the form it represents.

In illustration, a woman receives the Medal of Honor for service to an armed forces group. This, to some, would be deemed worthy of excellence achieved as a soldier.

But what of those who are in opposition to military, war or government? This receipt of honor for duties above the call may be perceived as an abomination and thus believed opposite of the given label. Maybe even considering it inferiority.

Even so, it can be determined more clearly with staying true to its agreed definition. Most would consider excellence to mean excelling in some area or field, as in ‘her excellence in writing is astounding’.

It could also be termed as ‘superiority’ or ‘distinction’. In as much as excellence is an agreed state of some sort of achievement, it could be said that it is truly objective as a concept.

However, it must be acknowledged that no matter what form it represents itself as, excellence will be determined by our peers. Simply labeling with the term does not impose its true concept on everyone.

If we are to concede that excellence in its true form is close to perfection and more of a static state, then there can be no argument for levels of achievement. There must be only the final result of excellence, perfection, and finality.

Therefore, once achieving excellence, there is no room for higher levels to be achieved.

This is unacceptable, for we are always capable of doing more or doing better. It’s a unique human talent that we all have. But by marking specific achievements with such labels it gives a sense of accomplishment which is very desirable.

What happens after excellence is achieved? Perhaps then we perceive it easier to move forward. Perhaps then it is a stopping point. Each of us who achieves an excellence state decides this next step as it is would seem fitting.

So, in its true form as a concept, excellence must be determined by societal rules and norms that mark achievements of superiority over others abilities. But it will always remain subjective to those who are ill-receiving of a specific genre classification.

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