Flawed Objectives

       'Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value.' - Albert Einstein

       I feel I must admit that I am troubled. But perhaps that is putting it too gently. I am baffled, exasperated and at the threshold of being gloomy. This is not, surprisingly, the consequence of any personal failing of mine. Save for my repeated inability to comprehend the vicissitudes of fate, I am rather content with my grasp of this world. Theoretically and empirically, I understand that I shall never fully understand it. And that for me is reasonably sufficient – for the extent of what may be known is beyond the capacity of any single human being.

       The source of my particular frustration is to be discovered within my failure to see any meaning or purpose to the self-perpetuating and, if I may say so, rather pointless endeavour of becoming a ‘success’. I have already established in my previous writing that, to me personally, that notion is defined by the attainment of interpersonal experience – our bonds with others are ultimately the most meaningful aspect of life (or at least, the most meaningful aspect that I can observe). Considering that I have reached this conclusion, I have taken it upon myself to examine objectively the current societal structure – our predisposition to climb a ladder of another’s choosing. (Worry not, I won’t really do that. Not only does it entail loads of rather tedious analysis, but it is also far beyond the scope of a blog post.)
       Now that your worries have been laid to rest, I will admit I still fail to see any meaning or purpose to the above-mentioned phenomenon. Nevertheless, I do want to share one particular insight of mine. It is related to what we see every day. And I hope it is close to the truth – at least in some small way. I have realised that, if you think you’re ‘getting ahead’ in life, you shouldn’t look back over your shoulder to see those you’ve passed by on the way.

       You should look ahead, far in the distance, to those you underestimated when the race was just beginning.