Challenges in life bring out the best in young people

Martin Luther King Junior once said,” The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” When a person is challenged, he will be encouraged to perform his best. However, when a person uses underhand means to overcome that challenge then it will not bring out the best in him.

Every successful person has gone through a challenge one way or another, which has enabled them to become what they are today. An eldest child in a family of orphans has to take on the challenge of taking care of his younger siblings and bringing them up. He is challenged indirectly, he has to ensure that his siblings are brought up well. In some challenges, sacrifices have to be made. In this example, he would have to sacrifice his money and time. But once this challenge has been overcame, his sacrifice would have been worth it.

However, one may argue that challenges do not bring out the best in young people. For example, athletes sometimes take steroids or use other underhand measures to improve their performnace during competitions. Gas chromatography has to be done to ensure that foul play, such as taking steroids does not occur. Therefore, challenges may not always bring out the best in the young people.

I believe that an individual’s morals have a large effect on whether a challenge brings out the best or worst in them. Under the pressure to win, a person with weak morals will show his worst side by using underhand means to achieve his goal. However, a person with strong morals, will show his best side by doing his best and using fair play.

This illustrates what Martin Luther King Junior meant by “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” The only way to see a person’s true colours is through a challenge.