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Failure is an option

Why teaching only success isn't helpful

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Failure is an option
Cornell University

I am currently in the process of changing majors, and will soon be very busy playing catch up. With that being said, I have deeply enjoyed my time writing here. Its therapeutic to release your thoughts somewhere that people can't argue back. I strongly recommend everyone become a writer, we all have a story to tell. I do have one last thought to leave with you and I hope that you enjoy this last bit of insight.

I've learned that failure is our biggest teacher in life. Through failure, a drive to succeed is developed. Through failure, we learn to deal with losing. In this world many think they are entitled to success. Losing is something many parents try to shelter their children from. The sad truth is that we are failing the human race by taking away the experience of failure.

I am not big into using studies as examples because the fact of the matter is observation into real life seems to be a lot more telling than a scientific study in most circumstances. Seeing a child cry after a defeat in a soccer match could tell scientist that it is “damaging to their growth and development” when in all actuality the chilling is learning how to process those feelings and emotions. Taking away a win/loss system produces a child filled with winning expectations in a competitive world filled with losing on a daily basis.

When we teach children that failure isn't an option, we are limiting them. Think of all the great inventions created by failure, think of all the things we’ve learned through failure. Failing a class in high school has become on of the most shameful act possible whereas in college failing a class simply means don’t take it again.

We limit the amount of discovery that could be allowed by “outlawing” failure. It almost seems as if there is an agenda to always be successful as quick as possible. This is ridiculous! What ever happened to getting lost in the woods? As a child I used to want to get lost in the woods so that i could find my way back home. Along the way I imagine I would have discovered so much about the world that otherwise would have gone unnoticed due to taking the short and narrow path. We are losing our wandering spirit. That voice that tells us to get lost along the way, to enjoy the path you define. That's the same way failure works. Failure allows for us to find a path that will lead us to where we want to go. Getting lost along the way is part of the experience. It allows us to see the world as it is, a bunch of losers that will get lucky every now and again.

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