How you define success in one's life? What should be accomplished in one's life to be contended enough that he have attained success in life?
Is it spiritual, materialistic, mandatory duties or what is "that" particular "item" to be reached ultimately by a human being to consider himself that he has done what has to be done before the end of the life in earth?
In the dictionaries success is defined variously as the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors
Of course there are various fiery explanations and attempts to define and make sense to success, but I believe this is strictly in the domain of the perceptions – either individually or collectively.
Success denotes a series of accomplishments and has an element of social recognition and economic status.
Let us take an example from persons normally associated with success and examine :
Sachin Tendulkar
TATAs
Mukesh Ambani
Abdul Kalam
Rajnikanth
I shall deal with Sachin elaborately and other examples would follow similar argument. I have taken a few names just to put on board persons normally associated with success in their own fields.
Sachin : The very name brings forth a gush of feelings – and not only he, but whole of fans prey for his Success. I have not known another person who could have such a fan following who wish and pray for his Success – an epitome of hero worship. Nothing wrong with that…
Two questions to ask
a) What is Sachin’s success
b) What is success to Sachin
The above questions immediately set apart two perspectives – a view by others and his own view. Both need not be congruent.
To my limited knowledge and perception, I can set out a few factors that are attributed as success of Sachin :
a) Record number of accomplishments in cricket – performance
b) In the long carreer, amidst so much turmoil, he has been able to maintain a clean image – accomplishments / records not gone to his head.
c) His attitude – matured, balanced, focused, honest, HUMILITY, without losing authority on his domain.
d) His words, actions and positions outside of cricket arena – depict the ideals any common man would aspire for – mainly his respect for commonly perceived value systems
e) The respect and awe he has in front of contemporary cricketers as well as all former cricketers
f) Sachin – a brand name : any growing cricketer (I would go one step further – he is an example for any growing youngster)
Let us consider or rather attempt to figure out what Sachin would have to say on this :
a) I love cricket and enjoy playing this – the passion
b) Ambition is to give my best to the game – each time
c) Constant learner – never considers that it is done
d) Improvise constantly – change the things that I can, accept those I cannot. The Sachin at 18, Sachin at 28 and Sachin of now are different batsmen. The basic compositions (approach, aggression, attitude, defence) have changed to keep the going effective.
e) Not counting on records, but that records just happen and I continue playing effectively.
f) I owe a lot to my family – the values they brought me up and I will always live by them
From the above what becomes clear is
a) Success is a set or series of accomplishments that are recognized
b) Success is effective utilization of skill sets aimed to accomplish and succeed
c) Success is manage perceptions and live to espoused values in society
d) Success is evolve as a person
I have limited the summary to four and I am emphatic about the last point.
In reality – what then is success : economic prosperity, accomplishments ….?
Yes, in common parlance it is as told above. What we examined for Sachin Tendulkar would hold true for the other personalities cited above and all others as well.
Let us take for example another person in same field as cricket – So if Sachin is the successful persons, can there be successful persons at the same time. It is an overwhelming yes. That means that success is individualistic, dynamic and not limiting.
So what is this thing called ultimate success – is it applicable to each field, category, profession, life?
Yes, in a way. It is a perceived progress of each man in his day to day endeavours. Mankind is a product of all things material and is very conscious of recognition. He is a social animal and there is an inherent tendency to compare and contrast.
Having set the context, let us now attempt the first question to this article :
How you define success in one's life? What should be accomplished in one's life to be contended enough that he have attained success in life?
Success in one’s life is an individual goal setting process. Human beings are a product of the social environment and are shaped by the existing and evolving value systems either by choice or by default or by a mix of both.
I look around at the world and my milestones are clear. If I am born, the milestones are born soon after. IN the current context from an average middle class Indian perspective, the milestones start from – the medical : periodic check up, upto 2 years the attendant medical attendance that is required, the growth chart monitoring, monitoring the health index, etc. The aspiration of every parent is to ensure that their child gets the best possible in their knowledge and capability. (I am not referring to neglected children – neglected due to social ills, or apathy or plain ignorance – that is a separate chapter to deal with). Having done that, the next stage is gaining admission in the best of schools and ensuring the child has all the necessary material. So far, these are in the domain of the success of the parents. Slowly it changes gears into the child, when parents set expectations – both implied as well as expressed. The child is a good observer and right from a young age observes people and tailors its behaviour to please and still aim to get what it wants. They understand clearly what their parents are looking for to a great extent. This is the implied expectation.
Once the expectation are set, the child goes about trying to accomplish them. Parents, and their circle soon discuss of their wards performances and successes….
Comes a stage when the child becomes adolescent, the attendant accomplishment targets are different and success is again relative.
Comes a stage when the adolescent becomes a adult youth and the set of targets change – both short term and long term.
And so on it goes.
In all the above, it is essential a conversation revolving around the day to day life, and the social norms, from one milestone to another – an endless journey.
Is this the business of life then?
The average human being battles it out for a respectable living – with his basic needs (food, shelter, clothing) covered, provided for some comforts in those basic needs, and also aspire to some luxuries in those need sets. Over and above this he is guided by his peer network and social stratum – where he yearns for recognition. A sum total of all this is the constant endeavour of an average life.
Please bear in mind I have extolled only on the success / accomplishment part of the question – not on the contentment.
Success and contentment are two entirely different emotions. Success could lead to a sense of contentment, but is not a necessary ingredient, and vice versa.
We will talk about contentment later.
Is the above then the business of life?
Now to the second part of your question :
Is it spiritual, materialistic, mandatory duties or what is "that" particular "item" to be reached ultimately by a human being to consider himself that he has done what has to be done before the end of the life in earth?
Let us take a few questions now:
What is life?
What is the purpose of life?
The above questions immediately throws open the arena and sets a larger context involving the very root cause of all this.
There can be no one line answer for the above, as the question is not simple. It is a fundamental question and hence, to answer that question we need to set the parameters, the jumping board, the assumptions, et al.
There are various schools of thoughts on the above subject and certainly we cannot possibly cover all of them.
Essential to the question above is understanding on some subtle themes.
Who is this living being? What is his role in this world? Is he the king of all? Does he control all beings?
Essential to the above is understanding – the relationship of man to the other creations. Essential to the above is understanding – the responsibilities of man to the other creations.
Essential to the above is understanding – our purpose in life and whether our actions are in consonance towards accomplishing that purpose
In that context can we look back to our first part of conversation on material accomplishments and the role of that material accomplishment to the above questions.
When the first set of conversations are viewed against the above questions, we immediately get the feeling that both are required, the first part is certainly required to keep us living and help us achieve the second part.
Now, the complexion of the extent and nature of the accomplishment in the first part changes.
Do we really need to indulge so much in the first part that it tends to obliterate the role and responsibility in the second part?
Do we realize what second part is about and do we understand our role and responsibility?
To answer this question we need to look at the entire creation and the purpose of the creation. The creation has two aspects – the sentient beings and insentient beings : sentient beings – one that can think and act, insentient – that which cannot think.
All beings capable of thinking are sentient – including man, animals, birds, etc…
All beings not capable of thinking are insentient – all of nature, rocks, stones, hills, water, earth, fire, etc…
The sentient beings are endowed with insentient beings so that the sentient beings can survive comfortably and then proceed on the task for which they are born. The most important role is that of human beings in this creation.
The purpose for man is to outgrow the material needs and aspire for spiritual emancipation. And while aspiring and endeavouring towards spiritual, man has to take care to ensure that all other beings – insentient as well as sentient lower to man are not affected in any way.
But alas, far from that, more often than not, we have moved so much away from the spiritual that we have lost the sight of the ultimate goal, being enmeshed in pockets of stagnant conversations or trying to figure out the world with jaundiced eyes. In the process we develop a haughty opinion on everything with such a surety to leave the creator embarrassed. And in the process we wreck havoc in the very creations, in the name of the creator.
So what is success ?
Surely, success is the final realization – realization of the self, of the relation to the creation, of the relation to the creator. IN this realization rests all the peace and love.
As I gravitate to the spiritual aspect of things, time to take a break at this juncture and start dwelling on the questions, repeated for ease of reference :
a) What is life?
b) What is purpose of life
c) Who am I?
d) AM I the body?
e) What is my role?
f) What is the role of all others?
g) What is the common goal?
h) Where have we gone wrong?
i) What is the purpose of creation
j) What is the cost of our civilization
More in my next.
xxx
