An Open Letter to People Scared of Failure
Few words are whispered quieter than the tides of failure. People lie and pretend they've toppled Olympus, and others turn already full-grown Bengal tigers into manticores. There is no stop to exaggeration, but success is a fallacy. Nobody admits to defeat, not in our culture. I've only rarely been given words of support, especially when I was younger. I'm certainly not the bottom of my class, but I've never seen the light at the top, either. School is harsh with grading us sometimes, and almost always during midterm examinations. I've failed midterm examinations, and I've gone on to fail the mocks after, and I've damn near come close to failing the board examinations. My parents were livid, my coaching tutors baffled, and my school teachers exasperated. Nobody told me it was okay to fail, or that failure doesn't reflect your abilities or who you are. So many of us feel the constant pressure of needing to succeed, of wanting to quiet our parents' criticism. So many of us fall just short in the eyes of ones we struggle to impress. I am not sure I have ever made anyone proud with my effort, and I am not quite sure if that is my fault. The standards are high in our school and our country. We pretend we don't care when we do terrible because everyone else is doing terrible, but deep down you're disappointed in yourself. What happens when you continue to trip and stumble, while everybody else walks steadily? Your friends will do better than you and move forward, while you stand alone as an island on the wild seas of your future. I will graduate soon, and I will take my shortcomings with me. The rest of you however, my juniors especially, you have so much yet to come. You have a chance to get through the tough and turbulent times ahead unscathed, and I hope you do. I don't know many of you, and maybe I never will, but I want you to know that in case you fail, in case you scrape your knees on the road to success, or you feel as if every rejection from a university is like a dagger in your heart, that it's okay. Bless you if your parents are understanding and supportive, but if they are not and they do not understand your effort, then know that at least I do. I believe in your inconquerable spirit, and the notion that failure is disgraceful is a disgraceful notion in itself. Be prepared to fail, and then be prepared to succeed. When it's your turn to graduate, don't curse yourself for not trying hard enough, because you are good enough and you always will be. Remember your effort and be proud of yourself for trying as much as you did. We're all too young to have regrets. To my friends who have yet to apply to university, or yet to be accepted, you know not what the future holds. Grieve if you must if you are rejected, but do not be ashamed of yourself, and do not wish you were smarter or more capable, because I don't know any number of people more talented, ambitious or wonderful than you. Good luck, to all of you.
-Anonymous, Class of '15













