A Sense of Duty

附中作文比賽時所寫的文章，題目為 A Sense of Duty。

There is absolutely no question that each and every person is unique, yet we all have something in common: we all have our own duties to fulfill. Whether they please us or not, they must be fulfilled sooner or later since they are inescapable. Sometimes we carry out our duties of our own accord; sometimes we’re passive. Regardless of who we are, we must learn to face our duties and overcome the obstacles that hinder us from fulfilling them. It is a crucial part of life.

Our duties matter because they are shining symbols representing who we are and what we have achieved. To illustrate, hardships often obstruct us from reaching our goals. However, by overcoming these hardships, we can show how much commitment and devotion we have. In other words, obstacles don’t exist to stop us completely. They exist to test our determination. Therefore, those who fulfill their duties well are more likely to receive extra opportunities in life since they have proven themselves worthy of new challenges.

Many people have difficulty accepting their duties due to the fact that we are subject to the various demands of life—demands that we seldom have control of. Consequently, it is vital that we learn how to accept our duties. Perhaps the easiest and most feasible method is to alter our perspectives. Instead of seeing duties as a kind of nuisance, we should embrace them and regard them with respect since the fulfillment of our duties would be beneficial to our lives. Moreover, the fulfillment of our duties would be meaningless without acceptance. We would not understand why they matter and what influences they have upon our lives. Furthermore, although a good start is not a silver bullet for success, acceptance is, without question, the first step we must take prior to the fulfillment of our duties.

A sense of duty must be developed after acceptance. We must embrace our duties and strive to complete them as it is obvious that mere acceptance is not adequate. It is crucial that we find the motivation required to complete our duties, hence the need for a sense of duty. We should become attached to our duties to a certain degree. Namely, we should give our duties adequate attention and devotion regardless of the time and circumstances. We should think of our duties just as a medieval knight would think of honour and chivalry. A sense of duty would ensure that we fulfill our duties in a timely manner and live up to expectations.

After the acceptance and fulfillment of our duties, we should look back at the road we have paved using our footsteps, for those who have completed the journey should have gained more than just a sense of duty. Our duties bring around knowledge and experience, and without our duties, our lives would not be complete.