Gleaning From The Walls

So many wonderful words of the English language have been altered with the passage of time, sometimes for the better, but so often corruption has occurred along this passage.  To corrupt means “to alter from the original.”  This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it leaves a void between the original meaning and the one used in the present.  A space of time now exists when the alteration cannot be exactly pinpointed.  It is here, in this space of time, in this void, that individual interpretation takes place.  Individual interpretation relative to a person’s own situation is how meanings of words are changed, and eventually the original meaning is lost somewhere along the way.  Many words have been corrupted with little or no consequence, but some have the unfortunate experience of changing so much for so many.  “Success” is such a word, a word that has come a long way from its original meaning.  If asked now what the word “success” means by definition, few people, even some highly educated, would answer with the same definition.

To most people, success equates to wealth and fame.  Although these are correct in a sense, wealth and fame are far from the heart of the true meaning of the word.  Success is really synonymous with the word “prosperity”, another misused word.  It means “to advance in anything good or desirable.”  (The definition of “good” would also be open for debate, but that is another story.)  To be successful is to prosper, but the question is – in what!  Material possessions, or wealth, are the desire of a great number of people’s hearts.  I have even heard success referred to as the American dream.  To accumulate “things” is a goal long sought after from ages past.  When attainment has occurred, one is said to be successful.  Then what?  Does the journey to success end there?  Does the striving to accumulate more and more ever end?  I doubt it very much.  So, the effort continues and increases to acquire more.  However, onlookers may be puzzled regarding what they observe.  “The successful ones have enough!” – they say – “Do they not?  Why, then, are they not satisfied with a large amount of possessions instead of a very large amount?”  Here is where the corruption enters.  Success is not the accumulation of wealth and riches as many believe because such accumulation has no boundaries.  There will always be more to be had and those who do not know where to draw the line.  They will always want more.  Success, therefore, will always be just beyond their reach.  Their whole life’s purpose will focus on wealth and the insatiable desire for more and more “stuff”.  Sadly, the important and most enjoyable parts of the journey to success will be missed along the way.  These people are not successful.

Fame is another one of success’ newly acquired dimensions.  However, sometimes having fame may have greater drawbacks than not being famous at all.  Everything comes with some kind of price tag attached, and the price for fame is high.  Just ask famous people.  Ask them about the things they may give up, willingly or not, because of their fame.  Things like privacy, for instance.  Celebrities have very little of this precious commodity, and what they do have is fervently guarded.  Some celebrities even shut themselves up to avoid the prying eyes of privacy invaders.  Then they are looked upon as an oddity, a recluse.  Many famous people are unhappy for various reasons, yet are considered quite successful.  Some have even lost their very lives, perhaps tragically by murder or suicide, yet they are still envied my the masses of those not famous.  In a lot of cases, these tragedies can be directly linked to their fame.  So, if famous people are considered successful just because they are famous, and then later their fame wanes, does that mean they are no longer successful, that their success has somehow escaped them?  No, fame does not equate to success any more than wealth does because they both must be maintained.

Success is actually the favorable and prosperous termination of anything attempted; a termination that answers the purpose intended.  The purpose intended is the key to being successful and only hard to understand if, when defining success, merely fame and wealth are mentioned.  It is a journey indeed.  Compare the businessman who occupies the penthouse of a corporate high-rise with the janitor who empties his trash bin at night.  Who is the more successful of the two?  The former’s intended purpose was to climb the corporate ladder and acquire power and prestige.  The latter’s, to support his family modestly, learning to be content with enough to maintain his living expenses, plus a few extras maybe, but allow him more time with his family.  Again I ask, who is more successful?  Submit the question to each and they will probably both say, “Yes,” and both would be correct, from their own perspective.  What about others, though?  What would they say?  Would the janitor be considered just as successful as the businessman?  I think not!  These two equally successful people will unfortunately be defined by the amount of dollars in their pocket books.  Nevertheless, both intended purposes were fulfilled and, therefore, favorably met.

Success, a uniquely inspiring word, can be the determinant of one’s self-worth or just another end to an enjoyable journey.  To think some people actually base their self-worth on their success is sad; but with the accurate perspective and a good grasp of the meaning, all people can attain success, and not just once, but many times throughout their lifetime. ~ ’98

~ Gerrie