Argumentative Essay Sample: Obstacles and Disadvantages Can Be Used for a Positive Effect

According to a popular phrase, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” In our lives, we face many obstacles presented to us in the paths that we try to follow. I believe that obstacles and disadvantages can be used for a positive effect.

The first reason for why I believe this to be the case is because obstacles always result in you being able to reach a point otherwise unreachable. This applies to my own experiences with learning Japanese. When I had begun learning the language, I was stuck in a state where I possessed a lot of knowledge, but not to the point where I could comprehend spoken Japanese. Instead of losing my interest in learning, I decided to constantly immerse myself in the language to the point where it had become second nature to me.

I also believe that obstacles and disadvantages can be seen as advantages in and of themselves. According to Immanuel Kant, enlightenment can only be achieved if one has the freedom to think on their own. A person who lives dependent on others will see the line to maturity and independence as that of an obstacle or disadvantage. However, a person who is able to cross that line will realize that there are many advantages to being enlightened. The main of these advantages being the ability to change or influence the world around you to your views.

The third reason for why I think that an obstacle or disadvantage can be turned into something good is due to the fact that they prepare us for a life abundant with challenges. Others say that we should try to live without encountering obstacles because they will only set us back and bring a negative effect to us. While I agree with the sentiment that obstacles can set us back, I completely disagree with the opinion that we need to avoid obstacles. It is impossible to live in the world without constantly challenging others in order to reach our desired rank in society. As such, I believe that we always need to be ready to face any obstacle that may face us because they will.

I believe that we should not fear any obstacles or disadvantages brought our way. They will definitely harm us, but we should use that to our advantage so that we can grow as people and advance our potential.