The Problem with Success: The Reasoning Behind the Fear

In my last post I discussed the Fear of Success that is so rampant in our society. It is illogical and unreasonable to fear success since it is naturally equated with happiness and joy. It is also associated with a decrease in insecurity. We measure success often enough with financial security. People who are financially successful have financial security - and don't need to constantly worry about providing a roof over their heads or food to eat. Their basic necessities are not a problem for them. Basic survival is not as big an issue for them as it is for the rest of us peons. This is where the problem - the fear - comes into play - but in a twisted sort of way. It's all psychological.

Most of us little peons - underachievers - watched our parents and other relatives struggle to make ends meet. In effect the term WORK is equated in our psyches as hard, difficult, suffering, painful, the need to sacrifice - or give up - our dreams and doing things we truly need and deeply want to do more than anything else in life - like spending as much time with those we love, fulfilling our dreams - our true callings in life, etc. We are, in effect, trained to give up our lives in order to survive. We give up our quality of life in exchange for - well, life. We need to survive - but in order to do this - we believe that we have no other choice - we must give up that which makes life worth living. It is sad - and backwards thinking. Completely illogical. We therefore are the cause of our own suffering - we perpetuate it by training our children that suffering and sacrifice of what is worthwhile - is just the way things must be. Most of us cannot see any other way to live - because we are not nurtured and trained to do so. We are living contradictions:

Success = happiness + security
Success = work
Work = suffering + sacrifice + misery
Success = suffering + sacrifice + misery

[the first and last lines show the contradiction.]

I believe this proves my point. If one looks at the human psyche as a computer - then this contradiction is a self-perpetuating, self-replicating negative feedback loop. Like a fractal of negativity - or for those religious types - a spiraling fractal of evil - one that we are allowing to continue to wreak havoc on our lives and our world. As if someone or something intentionally set it there and let it run amock - letting humanity run amock - into self-destruction.

Is this something we should allow to continue? I don't think we should. Our very survival and quality of life depends on it.

Until next time... You can always get what you want. Just take the logical steps towards it - even baby steps will do.

If Bill Gates could do it - so can the rest of us.