Post by Elliot Kane on Apr 26, 2010 12:29:35 GMT
Human Perspectives: Success & Failure
It's always interesting to me to consider how far we as a species allow other people to define our parameters for us, even to the point where Consensual Reality tells us whether we are 'good' or 'bad' and whether our lives can be seen as 'success' or 'failure'. To that end, I thought it might be worth creating a short story to explore those issues. I hesitate to use the word 'parable' as it has far too many religious connotations, but I suppose in essence that's what it is.
Sometimes it's just that the best way to make a point is to turn the point into a story.
Defining Success
There once were two men, Tom and Harry, who grew up in a small village in the country. They were friends as children, but while Tom enjoyed life in the village, Harry dreamed of more. As they grew up, they drew apart. No real reason - neither was a bad person - they just had little in common.
Tom left school with no qualifications and got a job in a shop. He was not academically gifted, but he was a hard worker and socially active. Soon, he met Mary and married her and they settled down to raise a family. Having no real ambition to have a career, Tom sought only to be a good husband and, in time, a good Father.
Meanwhile, Harry had gone to university and graduated with a top degree and a mind burning with ambitions for the future. He started his own business and quickly proved to be every bit the business genius he thought he was. A swift parade of wives and mistresses ran through his life, but none stayed. He simply had no time to devote to them. His children lived with their Mothers and rarely saw their Father, who was busy with his business.
Tom was socially active and had a circle of friends who liked him for who he was. Harry built a network of business contacts who hugely respected him and his abilities.
In time, the world knew who Harry was. He made the cover of Time magazine and regularly made it onto 'richest people in the world' lists. His business strategies were studied and taught throughout the world. No-one outside of his village ever knew who Tom was, nor did he ever have much in the way of money or material goods.
Eventually, both died. Harry died alone and his funeral was a grand affair, attended by many heads of state, but not a single person cried. His firm would miss his guiding hand, but not a single person in the world would mourn for Harry himself. Tom died surrounded by his family - children and grandchildren - and his funeral was a far less grand affair, but everyone cried. His entire community would miss him.
So who is the success? And who the failure? Are they both successes or failures? What do you think? The moral of this story may not be what you think it is...
When you've thought about it, hit the spoiler tab:
It's always interesting to me to consider how far we as a species allow other people to define our parameters for us, even to the point where Consensual Reality tells us whether we are 'good' or 'bad' and whether our lives can be seen as 'success' or 'failure'. To that end, I thought it might be worth creating a short story to explore those issues. I hesitate to use the word 'parable' as it has far too many religious connotations, but I suppose in essence that's what it is.
Sometimes it's just that the best way to make a point is to turn the point into a story.
Defining Success
There once were two men, Tom and Harry, who grew up in a small village in the country. They were friends as children, but while Tom enjoyed life in the village, Harry dreamed of more. As they grew up, they drew apart. No real reason - neither was a bad person - they just had little in common.
Tom left school with no qualifications and got a job in a shop. He was not academically gifted, but he was a hard worker and socially active. Soon, he met Mary and married her and they settled down to raise a family. Having no real ambition to have a career, Tom sought only to be a good husband and, in time, a good Father.
Meanwhile, Harry had gone to university and graduated with a top degree and a mind burning with ambitions for the future. He started his own business and quickly proved to be every bit the business genius he thought he was. A swift parade of wives and mistresses ran through his life, but none stayed. He simply had no time to devote to them. His children lived with their Mothers and rarely saw their Father, who was busy with his business.
Tom was socially active and had a circle of friends who liked him for who he was. Harry built a network of business contacts who hugely respected him and his abilities.
In time, the world knew who Harry was. He made the cover of Time magazine and regularly made it onto 'richest people in the world' lists. His business strategies were studied and taught throughout the world. No-one outside of his village ever knew who Tom was, nor did he ever have much in the way of money or material goods.
Eventually, both died. Harry died alone and his funeral was a grand affair, attended by many heads of state, but not a single person cried. His firm would miss his guiding hand, but not a single person in the world would mourn for Harry himself. Tom died surrounded by his family - children and grandchildren - and his funeral was a far less grand affair, but everyone cried. His entire community would miss him.
So who is the success? And who the failure? Are they both successes or failures? What do you think? The moral of this story may not be what you think it is...
When you've thought about it, hit the spoiler tab:
Answer: both are successes because they both achieved exactly what they wanted out of life and on their own terms. Neither allowed other people to tell them who or what they should be. Both lived as they would have wished and willingly paid the price for their dreams. The real moral of this story is: do not ever allow other people to decide for you what constitutes success or failure in your own life. Only you can do that!
