We Are Born To Fail
March 21, 2009 at 10:29 am 19 comments

It was Emily Dickinson who once quipped that “Success is counted sweetest by those who never succeed”. As to what prompted her to say that I don’t know, but she may have a point. Success is rare as winning in the lottery. By nature, we are born to fail.
If failure isn’t in our genes, then why is it so easy to fail? All you have to do is sit in your favorite couch and do nothing and it will come to you like a bolt of lightning. If you want to succeed, however, you have to stand up and defy the laws of gravity.
Success requires a lot effort and will-power. Look at a baby trying to learn his first steps. Look at the struggles that he has to go through before he finally succeeds. If I knew then what I know now of the effort required, I probably would have given up walking altogether. On the other hand, I may not. It seems that in addition to our inborn capacity to fail is the ability to evolve and dream of the possibilities. All we need is a little window to see the light.
In the final analysis, it doesn’t really matter that some endeavors can lead to failure. This may look like a pessimistic point of view, But not necessarily so. As long as we show up, live the dream, and learn from each other’s failures, we’ve done our part in contributing to human evolution. Happiness is not finding success at the end of the rainbow, but in enjoying the ride.
Entry filed under: Blogroll, daily prompt. Tags: commentary, emily dickinson, failure, life, postaday, success.
1.
kelliemacaraeg | March 22, 2009 at 5:11 pm
hello there, P.
Your title is so emooooo…. but I like it. π
Anyways thanks for dropping by my site, you can crash there anytime you want.
i’m adding you to the b-roll as well. π
2.
plaridel | March 22, 2009 at 8:12 pm
kellie:
thanks.
3.
Den Relojo | March 23, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Anything that is rare is valued, and so is success.
4.
plaridel | March 24, 2009 at 7:47 am
den:
you’re right on the money.
5.
Rob Layton | March 28, 2009 at 7:10 pm
A lot of people forget that we should be contributing to human evolution. Some contribute to devolution haha.
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12.
likeitiz | August 17, 2014 at 8:38 am
As I read through your piece, I was going to say, why so down? But then you raised it up at the end. Winning is great. But the journey is far more exquisite. It’s hard to tell that to the athletes in competitive sports. Or to terrorists.
13.
plaridel | August 17, 2014 at 11:47 am
likeitiz:
I appreciate your comment very much. thank you.
14.
I am DαΊ‘ Ly | August 27, 2014 at 10:15 pm
What a great title! Couldn’t help clicking on ^^
15.
plaridel | August 28, 2014 at 9:35 am
dαΊ‘ ly:
i hope you enjoyed reading the post, too. π
16.
LoudThoughtsVoicedOut | December 16, 2014 at 6:20 am
One of my all time favorite motivational songs is Defying Gravity by Idina Menzel. I love this post and it made me think that as we grow up we give up easier. If we’d given up as kids, we’d still be in diapers. Evolution would not have been possible. Maybe the best role model is not a legend but an innocent child picking himself up after every fall and attempting to walk until he can π Great post..
17.
plaridel | December 16, 2014 at 5:12 pm
loudthoughtsvoicedout:
thank you. i’m glad you liked it. π
18.
etak | December 17, 2014 at 10:35 am
i love small explanations of quotes and what they mean to people. Inspiring, may try it myself!
19.
plaridel | December 17, 2014 at 8:14 pm
etak:
thank you for stopping by. much appreciated.