Robert F Martin, click
here to update your pages on AuthorsDen.
Blogs by Robert F Martin
Failure 4/12/2006 8:40:26 AM
What is it about failure that we as Americans think is so horrible? Is it the fact that we didn't win? Do we think it means we're stupid, or retarded?
I would argue that failure means none of these things. Its part of the learninng process, and sometimes there are actually mitigating circumstances. Lets say a hypothetical person studies for a test starting a week in advance, they study all the right material, have it all memorised, and still fail. How do we know that person simply doesn't do well on tests?
Imagine your first semester at college, you're in a totally alien environment, you don't know ANYBODY, your schedule is completely new, your classes are spread out throughout the day, and on top of academics, you have every aspect of your life that your parents used to take care of to manage. Now, lets say you don't do very well, maybe even fail a class. Why does this mean to so many people that you're retarded? Why couldn't it simply mean that you had a hard time adjusting to college?
I find this stance on failure most people have quite unsettling, and honestly worrisome. Failure, if anything failure is better in many ways than success, because it shows us where we;need to improve.
