The Relativity of Success

Oft times we hear children being instructed by their mothers and fathers in rather customary fashion that they need to grow up to be successful. In all parts of the world we find parents agonizing and toiling to give their budding youngsters a secure and comfortable schooling- a heuristic which is perceived to guarantee success. But we need to closely look at the definition of success and if it can be measured at all.

When we think of successful people, we may cite the example of Bill Gates, regard Mahatma Gandhi as the touchstone of success, epitomize Mother Teresa or even glorify Osama bin Laden. Therefore is success, as defined by the dictionary, the achievement of what one plans or desires? Or is it fortune, a breakthrough, fruition, or happiness? Many feel that this is a mixed bag- it is not necessarily the end state but the means to achieve it, some understand it as balance and still some others as conquering! As one would readily agree, there are a myriad ways of looking through this dynamic prism.

‘Success’ is a very fluid and relative concept, the definition of which has been changing over time and context. Centuries ago, bombarding a new state and plundering another like the Vikings was considered successful, where the thrust was on expanding the territory- a need for dominance. When we move on in history, we find that kings were successful because they were able to defend their province in wars, not only conquer. With time, success of a country was dependent on the quality of trade it possessed, like the East India Company. But would one regard it as successful had it continued to wield its power on its colonies or is the historic overthrow of the capitalists by the exploited as explained by Karl Marx in The Das Kapital, the more significant accomplishment?
While Hitler and Napoleon were at the zenith of their monumental reign, there were of course communities and nations scourged and crucified. Hitler achieved the revival of German pride, but what about the Jews? Napoleon brought back national stability in France, but at what cost? Are these regarded as tours de force?

As nations and communities were vying for supremacy and suzerainty, breakthroughs and discoveries were being made in science. Einstein, who configured for the world, the of theory of relativity was once a confirmed ‘failure’ in school. But can one contest his elegant understanding of the mathematical structure of the physics of the universe? Edison’s invention of the bulb brought in a revolution around the world- changing forever the life of future generations. Yet it is of great disbelief that he was a dyslexic, thought of as ‘good for nothing’ in his early years of life. Charles Darwin, left many theists agnostics, when he announced to the world that humankind evolved from apes and is not of divine origin. His success was challenged by the church then, and with time, his theory is questioned today as well, because: it is not the survival of the fittest but that of the smartest in the era of knowledge and technology.

The industrial revolution was the zeitgeist of the early 19th century; it brought economic supremacy, the new coveted status of the bourgeoisie, and employment for many, leading to human mobilization. It brought the end of King Louise XVI, the French monarch, but that was the successful beginning of the neo middle class. The Russian Socialist Movement was yet another prominent spin off of the industrial revolution. It brought into focus celebrated authors like Charles Dickens and poets like William Wordsworth and P B Shelly, the champions of Romanticism. But what is the status of the very successful industrial revolution in today’s knowledge age?

Again, the Knowledge Era brings in unprecedented challenges: Information being the new age currency, cerebral power overtakes raw brawn, and therefore the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The intellectual chasm between those who can afford knowledge (and therefore greater economic power) and those who cannot is simply widening. This is of paramount concern of every government, thus bringing in pseudo equality though their economic measures. Technology heralds the so far unknown misuse of information giving birth to man made evils and social systems breakdown. So how do we rate the success of the elevated information revolution and the consequences of it?

Even as we speak of national and international issues in the framework of success, at the level of every individual, we find there are successes and failures. Yet again, there is no one standard or norm which differentiates between the victors and the vanquished. If we were to only talk about business tycoons, national leaders, and eminent social workers or even scientists as those who are successful, does it mean that an average person with average concerns is not successful?

In the city you have a gifted and talented school going child, enjoying the privilege of going to mainstream schools, securing enviable academic ranks and basking in the elevated social- financial status of his parents. Yet he lacks a sense of humility, the ability to share and care, and the necessary virtue of reflection and respect. Does his flamboyant academic performance still hold weight? One may want to deliberate on how successful he is in his education.
At the same time, a naïve, young boy of the same cohort, battles with the social stigma of autism- a much misconstrued psychological issue; being called ‘retarded’ once, ‘mad’ another time and yet another time ‘psychotic.’ Each of these adjectives is harsh and in fact untrue- because clinically the child is socially aloof and lacks communication skills. Yet, one fine day, he astounds the world with his book- ‘Beyond the Silence’- a reflection of his life. He still remains ostracized, goes to special schools, and needs his mother’s help for all communication. His forbearance is lost in time- his assiduousness and toil is a reference to none. Would or could one still call this effort of his a success story?

There are of course the controversial gender issues. Can we use the same yardstick to measure the success of both men and women? In many parts of the world we have women being brutally battered, raped and harassed by their over powering, insensitive and ruthless husbands. Yet, these women hold their own and continue to ‘live’ in the marriage only to ensure that their children do not suffer. They endure extreme societal humiliation and contest torture to singularly focus on their children’s future. Still, each of these women believes that by not terminating the marriage, they provide their children with the ‘social security’ of having a father and financial ease. Has she been successful in her life- by sacrificing her happiness and self esteem? Or are her successful children the consequence of her successful endeavor?

Yet, in many other countries, women have redefined their lives and consider themselves no less than their husbands. They refuse to deify men and be objectified themselves. They fight the social prejudices and stereotypes associated with the ‘weaker sex’ and acquire the reputation of ‘rebels.’ These women do not consider societal duress as a challenge and find a path parallel to their counterparts. They feel they could find happiness in an alternative- that is success as defined by them.

These are only few examples drawn from a multitude of stories. Each has a different strain, a new note, a rebellious thought or even a fighting spirit. One, none, many or all of these can be regarded as a definition of success because it is a relative concept. Success is determined by cultural milieu, history, time, age and the individual himself. There are still many related unexplored questions and debatable answers: is happiness linked to success? Can only the intelligent flourish or in a broad dimension, the spiritually inclined?

Whatever the lens is through which we discern success, it is of paramount importance that all children are exposed not only to school life, but to a liberal and progressive conglomerate of society, culture, time and balance. This is education: a synonym for success. When we understand that there are divergent ways of converging on a single forum for creating ‘self,’ success has a heterogenic quality.
Success is therefore, a matter of perspective.