I copied my essay verbatim. The prompt was “What motivates people to change?”
Adversity motivates people to change. When people face adversity, they realize that they must change if they want to make their lives/situations better again. Examples from literature, history, and personal experiences support this assertion.
Albert Einstein defined insanity as “doing the same things over and over again and expecting a different result.” This is significant because einstein faced numerous problems when developing his theory of relativity. Often times, the particle would dissolve before he could finish his experiment and prove the theory untrue to his colleagues. After months of trial and error, he change the parameters of his experiment: instead of using a molecular particle, he used an atomic particle which proved his theory true. Adversity caused him to rethink the parameters of his experiment.
One can also consider the epic poem of Mein Tout(i underlined this title on paper). In the epic, the great warrior Mein attempts to defeat the monster Yak. Mein uses the same battle axe to defeat Yak, but misses every time. Mein then comes up with the idea of reflecting light off his axe and into Yak’s eyes. This proves successful and Yak is blinded, which allows Mein to deliver his fatal blow. Adversity caused Mein to rethink his battle tactics and defeat Yak.
This assertion holds true in sociology studies as well. In 1975, sociologist Richard Wu gathered a group of 25 students. He then ordered the students to catch a mouse in a rotating cage. After using the same tactic to catch the mouse and failing, almost every student started to develop the same tactic of rotating the cage against the directions of the mechanics and grabbing the mouse. In fact, students attempted this same method 90 percent of the time. Adversity caused the students to change their methods after repeating to fail to capture the mouse.
In conclusion, adversity is the root cause of change. It leads to innovation, which leads to a better world. As Albert Einstein said, “insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting a different result.”