Yardstick of success

Who is successful? What defines success? People generally have a myopic view of success. Society treats someone with a good salary, own house and an onsite job as successful. This parameter becomes the template and the system around us slowly insinuates these parameters into our conscience from a very young age.

Everyone naturally wants to adopt this template and rarely questions the logic behind this. The society’s expectation becomes their goals. And their own goals take a back seat. They don’t understand they are settling for something that is lesser than what they could achieve. They never realize that they are running a wrong race.

Anyone who questions this template becomes a rebel. Marked as a failure. There are very few who shun this template and define their own parameters for success. They don’t worry about what society thinks. Their self-esteem is so high that this society can’t do any harm.

Many of these rebels may not succeed in their endeavours. But I still rate their failures higher than what deemed success by this society. At least they live their life the way they want it to be. And the successful rebels change this world.

தேடிச் சோறுநிதந் தின்று — பல
சின்னஞ் சிறுகதைகள் பேசி — மனம்
வாடித் துன்பமிக உழன்று — பிறர்
வாடப் பலசெயல்கள் செய்து — நரை
கூடிக் கிழப்பருவ மெய்தி — கொடுங்
கூற்றுக் கிரையெனப்பின் மாயும் — பல
வேடிக்கை மனிதரைப் போலே — நான்
வீழ்வே னென்று நினைத் தாயோ?

-மகாகவி பாரதியார்