It is generally believed that some people are born with certain talents, for instance for sport or music, and others are not. However, it is sometimes claimed that any child can be taught to become a good sports person or musician. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

One of the highly controversial issues today relates to whether some people are genetically equipped with what it takes to be a gifted person, such as a skilled musician or athlete, or that it is possible to acquire such a gift through the conventional methods of learning and challenging work. In this essay, I am going to shed some light on both points of view and extend my partial support to the latter view. On one side of the argument there are people who argue that if one is born with an inherent talent he need not work hard to exhibit one’s skills. The main reason for believing this is that many of the famous musicians and athletes have shown remarkable progress and achievements since early age. One good illustration of this is the famous musician, Mozart, who was effortlessly capable of composing music since his early childhood. Therefore, it is easy to see why their argument has gained support. On the other hand, it is also possible to make the opposing case. It is often argued that innate talents and hard-work are not mutually exclusive. People often have this opinion because under appropriate circumstances and good preparations, people can acquire skills that could enable them to excel in a profession or talent such as music or sport. A second point is that, nowadays, modern behavioral science and research can analyze the criteria and the factors that lead to success. A particularly good example here is the Australian swimming national team that has achieved excellent results by the implementation of scientific evidence to motivate and train swimmers. Thus, it goes without saying that their viewpoint is credible and realistic. In my opinion, both arguments have their merits. On balance, however, I tend to believe that both an innate talent and training are the best combination to achieve admirable results.