Hullabaloo

I agree with everyone's responses to this question. Failures are helpful because they can push people to success. I have dealt with this sort of thing in irish dance. One time i was competing in a dance competition and i did not place like i usually do. At first i was very upset, but then my state of mind changed. I wanted to work harder and come back stronger. I wanted to be the best dancer i could be. I worked so hard for the next year and when the competition came around again, i danced better then i had ever danced before. My failure made me push myself into success. In Hullabaloo, Sampath was a complete failure. He messed up on everything, causing a complete disturbance to their family. His father was very upset from his son. I think that after Sampath was thought of as a holy man, his father helped him out more and pushed him to greater success. His father wanted his sons failure to disappear. I think Sampath became a stronger being from his failure, from it he found what he wanted in the guava tree.

@Zuzu13
I totally agree with your question of "at what point does it become physically impossible to do better?" I see that apparent for me especially in the ballet world where it's all about being even MORE thin and even MORE flexible and being able to do even MORE turns and higher leaps and being able to do choreography of all kinds be it strictly classical or the most modern neoclassical. Now only those who can do everything to the extreme are making it into that world which is mostly impossible except for those few.

Failures are essential to a person's life because they help you move forward. For example, if you fail a math test, then you know what NOT to do for the next math test.

@sarah13
Exactly! I totally get where you are coming from.
I mean consider people like Oprah Winfrey and Bill Gates.... in my opinion they are two of the most overall-successful people in the United States, and probably the entire world. I just can't imagine anyone being more successful than either of those two.

ElayneGriswold13 wrote:Some things may be considered a success to some, yet a failure to others. Sampath was perfectly content in the guava tree, but his father firmly believed that he and his entire existence was a failure.
The end result of a failure, whether it be good or bad, can only be determined through your own view of it.

I agree. How about if you play a sport game and your team loses. However, you personally played your best game ever. Technically speaking, your team failed. BUT, since you played your best game ever, that specific game could be considered a success, while many people would believe it to be a failure.

brebre13 wrote:@allysonbrianna
i agree that success is based upon individual actions and the opportunities that are given to said individuals. but i don't think that someone could measure his or her own accomplishments. yes, one can feel pride in their life and actions. and yes, different people have different views of success. but the fact is, success is based on the world's perspective. who has the most money? who has the most power? these questions have become synonymous with "who is the most successful?". it may not be someones place to judge others, but the world does. its human nature to judge others and compare them to ourselves. unfortunately people are always competing and trying to outdo others in efforts to be seen as successful. so when considering Lindsay and Paris, their success is based on the world's view of them. and in their cases success changes every day. success isn't a sedentary attribute, but instead a trait that changes with the popular opinion. people are controlled by what they think success means. if the magazines and papers declare something a success, the world follows in an attempt to meet the status quo. people are willing to change themselves and their motivations just to become what society deem success.

Maybe for some people, success isn't about money. It's about living a comfortable life and living in standard suburb life. For others, it could be being a good doctor. For me personally, I don't look at other people and say "I want to beat that person!", because honestly, I want everyone to achieve their dreams. I know what I want to do, and not because anybody else has done it.

@kjwalsh
i totally agree with you! at first i thought that the followers would be disappointed that Sampath was gone, but it makes total sense that the followers were in a way proud of him. great point!

@allysonbrianna
i agree with your view that money isnt everything, and i wish the world could have that view too. i dont think that money is everything. i find having friends and family a form of the highest success. but what i'm trying to put across is that the generic, world view of success is in a monetary form. in Hullabaloo, the best example of this is Mr. Chawla, always trying to gain a profit. and for success living comfortably in a small suburb? that requires a job. and most jobs require college degrees.
[b]"According to an article on PRWeb , the U.S. Census Bureau states that people with a Bachelor’s degree earn over 60 percent more on average than those with only a high school diploma. Over a lifetime, the gap in earning potential between a high school graduate and someone with a B.A. (or higher) is more than $1 million." (www.uscollegesearch.org)[/b]
and nowadays, it is extremely difficult to receive a job without a degree. so in order to live a cozy suburb life? one would have to have monetary success, based on the job they acquired with a degree to allow them to attain a home. and for doctors? they are going to be successful financially based on the amount of training and the degrees they hold. and also, there are plenty of people who want everyone to succeed and want the best for everyone. i know i do. but the cold reality is that life is a competition. every time you walk into a job interview, you are trying to be better than the other applicants. the same is true for college admittance. its human nature and an evolutionary survival instinct to try and outdo others. even if you try not to compete, there will come opportunities where you have to go up against someone else to reach your personal goals.

its a sad concept that the world sees success as found financially and not as a result of more meaningful longer lasting happiness. i wish the world could be content with raw happiness as opposed to competition, power, and money.

On the contrary, I did some research, and through NationMaster.com, I found a poll recently taken.

You would think that the USA is one of the happiest countries in the world. Let's face it, we have freedom, nonprejudiced lifestyle, and it's easy to succeed in this country if you try.
The #1 happiest country out of fifty shows Venezuela is on top. Also, I found that on Nationsencyclopedia.com that over 67% of the population of Venezuela is placed below the poverty line. The money those families do use is spent on necessary items like food, and gas. As nice as it is to buy a computer, or a flatscreen tv, or a new gaming system, I feel that this is tearing families and friends apart. Highschool girls texting on their phones instead of cooking with dad or mom, little 10 year old boys playing a new gameboys game instead of outside playing catch with a neighbor. Through interaction with other people (ie family, friends, ect..) people can find true happiness, rather than through the facade of what many people have today, a materialistic and lonely life.

The united states was #7, after Nigeria, Ireland, Iceland, Netherlands, Philippines, and Turkey respectively.

whoa! those are great pointsl! but while venezuela, for example, is happy are they successful? how would happiness and success relate? do they do hand in hand, or are the countering opposites?

@ Bre

I guess it depends on what success is defined as. Some people think success is achieved through schooling to become wealthy and well suited, while other's find success in family, friends, and love. Overall, to be successful in life, don't you need to be proud of yourself? People have different views of the word success, ergo one can only attain it if that's what they want. If you have what you want, aren't you happy?

@BeccaNicole
i do agree that happiness is attaining your goals and having what you want. but i've come to the conclusion that success is two part. there is self success, and what you think of yourself. and also there is social success, or what the world sees as successful. perhaps the self confidence and self assurance of a person defines what kind of success they use.

Yes, I agree with you Claire. If you do not fail at something, then how do you get better? What would motivate you? For me, when I don't do good at a swim meet, it is like failing. That motivates me during practice and for the next meet so that i don't fail. Of course I know I will soon fail again, but I know how to pick myself up again and regain that confidence, which to given to me through getting over my failures.
Failure is a big part of Sampath's life. He was a failure! He lost a job at the post office...who does that?? I think that after that, Sampath had to find something that made him feel better and do something he was comfortable with, although it is good to go out of your comfort zone, Sampath was obviously different.