<p>Hello there, I'm Sanju from India. I need some feedback on my essay-writing ability. Could anyone read my essay and grade it, please? I take my SAT in a month and need the comments desperately! </p>
<p>I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite.
-G.K. Chesterson<br>
Are people held back by their adherence to the beliefs of the majority or doing things in the conventional way?</p>
<p>The concept of the opinion of the majority is widely perceived as being a sound indicator of the right stand in most issues. I, however, believe that adherence to the beliefs and ideals of the majority alone, diminishes ones capacity to view the world in a fashion that is unique to one.
I wish to present the example of Mahatma Gandhi to strengthen my stand on this topic. He lived and fought valiantly in a time when the people of India were plagued by blind faith and superstition-a time when people of the same country turned upon their fellow citizens, deeming them untouchable and unworthy of even sharing the same water wells as the higher strata of society for no fault of theirs. This stand of untouchability was widely prevalent in the majority and even advocated by them. It took years of struggle and persuasion by Gandhi to nudge at least part of that majority towards enlightenment. Surely, if Gandhi had sided with the majority, abolition of untouchability would have been a distant dream for the downtrodden. One can also conclude that the system of untouchability reigned unhindered for hundreds of years because the majority believed in it, the consequence of which is the under-development of whole sections of the society.
Another fitting example in this case would be that of the mass ridicule that the theory of the spherical nature of the earth, invited. The belief of the majority of the people then that the earth was flat was proven to be wrong by a few individuals who endeavored to break out of the hold of popular belief. It took individuals like, Ptolemy, for instance, to brave the consequences of shattering the cocooned belief of the majority; they faced ridicule for their seemingly preposterous theory; yet, they held fast to their belief and in the long run, they were able to prove the correctness of their own beliefs because they were brave enough to break away from preconceived notions of the majority.
Every human being possesses a gift which, as history has proven countless times, is the key to change. One may call it intuition or perhaps even instinct, and it gives one the ability to know something for what it really is, regardless of the majoritys take on it. Very few people escape the clutches of popular notion and belief to present to the world, what they believe is right. The rest follow the popular ideas of the crowd and their ideas and notions are, sadly, silenced for they prefer to go with the flow so to speak. There are, of course, enough examples to prove that the majority can be right as well. But I find that in most cases, the majoritys perception hinders the open development of ones beliefs.
It is from personal experience that I defend my stand. I find that it is infinitely more satisfying and rewarding to believe in my own notions even though society frowns upon it, if I am confident that what I believe is right. Being a part of the majority always while suppressing ones belief, to me, seems to be a wholly unfruitful way to live. </p>
<p>Thank you and please leave me a message to know how the essay is!</p>