Freedom To Fail
I apologize to my readers for not keeping this BLOG updated but I received a comment from a regular reader and it set the ’spark’ that was necessary.
The reader I refer to has a site definitely worth visiting: www.blog4brains.com.
I guess that’s what it takes. We are simply humans and it seems that once we get into a rut we tend stay there. It is the easy way out. Someone needs to poke us with a stick.
Anyway, the reader mentioned that we have a neglected freedom, the freedom to fail.
Our present American culture has become very–I won’t call it success oriented–but ‘anti-failure’ oriented.
I first experienced this in 1968 when I had moved into a new neighborhood and a neighbor invited me to his home for a visit.
The basement had been made into a very impressive game room and while touring the house his young son challenged me to a game of table tennis.
The boy was very good but I managed to win a very close game.
Both the kid and the father significantly cooled and the visit ended fairly quickly.
When we went outside, the father said angrily, “You were supposed to let him win!”
Having been a Boy Scout, an Assistant Scoutmaster, an Explorer Advisor and a Cub Scout Committee Chairman I was very surprised by that attitude.
During my entire life I had been conditioned to survive and one only survives by giving everything in you to every task. The concept of intentional failure was beyond my comprehension.
Since then we have seen the system of survival replaced by the system of ‘preservation of self-esteem’
School children are not permitted to fail. No matter how poor their performance they still graduate from high school barely able to read, write a meaningful sentence or give you back the correct change.
We do have the ‘freedom to fail’. If you manage your personal finances or your business in a manner in which you cannot survive then it is necessary that you fail.
I am fairly certain that if you cannot compete in business or in the academic fields in China, India or Russia then you have the freedom to fail.
No one will bail you out if you are a proven loser.
Why should they?
If we continue to place a higher value on self-esteem than on performance, we, as a country, can expect to fail. It is, after all, one of our freedoms.
You were suppose to let him win?
What a wonderful way to instill in a child that life is a game which you always win! What liberal nonsense.
Life doesn’t work that way. Never has and it never will. Besides learning to be your best at something you also need to learn how to get your butt kicked and still come back for more the next time a challenge arises.
Frankly, I think we’re far to concerned about little Johnny’s and Suzie’s feelings. They learn and grow and come back and whomp your butt the next time.
The act of ‘failing’ shows that you took the wrong approach to a situation.
Failure shows us not to do that again ands opens new directions for learning.
If we are never permitted to fail we never learn.
I had always thought that that was the purpose of education.
The kid who adds 2 and 3 and gives the answer, “Four” and is today being told by a teacher, “Nice try Willy, close enough” is not educating.
Willy may feel good because he came close but you had better count your own change at McDonalds when he hands it to you.
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Thank you for referring to the http://www.blog4brains.com site in your above post. Correction: it is not my site, although I am a contributing author to this site. The site belongs to Cerebrl (Justin). Thanks. Glad to see you on target, on your blog.
nice site this http://www.jwmalenda.com great to see you have what I am actually looking for here and this this post is exactly what I am interested in. I shall be pleased to become a regular visitor
nice site this http://www.jwmalenda.com nice to see you have what I am actually looking for here and this this post is exactly what I am interested in. I shall be pleased to become a regular visitor
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so tormented by doubts