Dave Mahorney
WRIT 121
Dr. Campbell
17 April 2006
Success Is Excess
Albert Einstein once said “Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” (Brainy Dictionary par 1)
The value of success is a measurement of bank accounts, flawless physiques, lucrative-corporate positions, material toys, notoriety and physical prowess. Too often hard work and diligent service are regarded as meaningless qualities. The value of a virtuous accomplishment is overshadowed by the fallacy of a glamorous life.
Success is perceived as the accomplishment of short-term-self-indulgent goals. Too few people see the large picture and their contribution to the evolving of mankind. In the news recently, a couple implemented a scam that involved the birth of sextuplets. They gathered donations from neighbors and online Samaritans. The couple maintained the story until the authorities probed further (AP par 12). People who are desperate to attain financial success will use extreme means to do so. The people who inevitably suffer are the ones who realize the big picture of helping others. Kenneth Lay of Enron is another fine example of having short-term-self-indulgent goals. He made millions from his buying and selling of Enron stock while covering up the true financials of the company. Hard-working employees suffered when the company they serviced went bankrupt (Johnson par 3-5).
The value of success loses its luster if the end result is self-indulgence. I searched the word success on Google and one of the top ten choices was secretstotheirsucess.com. Inside it revealed, “These people are making $30,000 to $2,000,000 each year with their Internet Home-Businesses.”(Gehl 1) Gehl offers a map to financial success. This website is not a true analysis of success but merely a means to a financial indulgence. The essence of a success must resonate throughout one’s lifetime. Once financial needs are met there must be a constant up keep to maintain the lifestyle. Many who reach this financial freedom find this achievement devoid of a meaningful success. The reason that people do not find meaning in financial achievement is that money is material. In order to achieve meaningful success you must help others to succeed. People who help others find solutions and give them the opportunity to do the same for other people are successful. Life takes on meaning because the individual has influenced another in a positive way.
Virtuous successes are seldom recognized in society but their accomplishment can reap tremendous rewards. In 1854 an ambitious young businessman, Henry Dunant, had just purchased a large parcel of land. He had needed to acquire water rights to this land. Henry set out to address the issue with Napoleon directly. He found the Emperor in an Italian town called Solferino. Henry arrived in time to witness one of the bloodiest battles of the nineteenth-century. He depicted the scene in his memoirs and set out to find a solution. Ten years later Henry managed to convince the Geneva Society for Public Welfare and sixteen other nations to meet. This meeting held in August 22, 1864 ended in the signing of the Geneva Convention and the birth of the Red Cross. Henry was found later in 1895 in a small room bankrupt and dying. The world honored him with prizes and awards which he donated. However, there were no mourners at his funeral (Haberman par 4-9). To the end Henry remained a true humanitarian and a success to the evolvement of humanity. While writing this paper I had a small success of my own. A lady was trying to get online at the library and an aid was trying to assist her. They struggled for a few minutes before I interjected. I showed them how to get online as well as how to email using the LCC account. I found out all the lady needed to do was to get her paper off the computer and print it out. So I offered her my Flash memory drive to get it accomplished quicker. She thanked me profusely and I felt a sense a success. This pales in comparison to Henry Dunant’s achievement. However, I did positively influence another human being. She may end up passing a class, receiving a degree and going on to help people in third-world countries to read through use of the internet. That may be a wild speculation but small virtuous successes can result in befitting humanity.
In closing, the world has been duped by media into believing that success is material. Images of flamboyant lifestyles flash across television sets. Huge award ceremonies with dressed-for-success celebrities are honored for meaningless achievements. There will be hope for humanity one day. The glamour will fade and the true successes will shine.
Works Cited
Brainy Dictionary. “Brainy Quotes.” Par. 1. Accessed 13 April 2006. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_success.html
Gehl, Derek. “Home Page.” par 176. The Internet Marketing Center®. Copyright 1996-2006. Accessed 17 April 2006. http://www.secretstotheirsuccess.com
Haberman, Frederick W. Nobel Lectures, Peace 1901-1925. Par. 9. Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 1972. Accessed April 2006. http://nobelprize.org/peace/laureates/1901/dunant-bio.html
Johnson, Carrie “Former Enron CEO Lay Surrenders in Houston.” Par. 22. July 8, 2004. The Washington Post Company. Accessed 13 April 2006
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36129-2004Jul8.html
The Associated Press. “Missouri couple sorry for sextuplet scheme.” Par. 12. MSN.com. Accessed 13 April 2006.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12301195/
