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: Glorfindel of Gondolin

Noble and worthy people... who need their ass kicked

Writing about the college admissions process, Yale law student Amelia Rawls repeats the truism that successful people aren't always nice. Her article is worth reading because she also points out that noble, concerned, and committed people aren't always nice, either:

I'm saying that sometimes some of these students will denounce world hunger but be unfriendly to the homeless. They will debate environmental policy but never offer to take out the trash. They will believe vehemently in many causes but roll their eyes when reminded to be humble, to be generous and to "do what is right."

It is these people, though, who often climb America's ladder of success. They rise to the top, partly on their own merits yet also partly on the backs of equally deserving but "nicer" people who let them steal the spotlight. Before they, or we, know it, they are the politicians and corporate executives subverting the very moral positions they espouse. They are the (frighteningly) many figureheads who purport to be leaders even as they embarrass our country and mar our history books.

Sadly, I know what Rawls is talking about: some superachievers simultaneously deserve praise for their contributions to worthy endeavors, and deserve a fist to the face for the petty, selfish, and mean things they do to the people around them.

Can you think of anyone like this? I'll bet you can.

Full post as published by Glorfindel of Gondolin on May 01, 2008 (boomark / email).