Intellect Today- Desire For Success or Fear Of Failure

Study Without Desire

Human mind! It has been scratched hard to give mankind, the unbelievable wonders. It is reaped in a way to produce such marvelous results but what can be said for today’s intellect?

Hey that’s 95%! that’s 92%! Awesome! Great result guys!

When a child tops a class, everyone around him is happy. His teachers, his parents everyone! And think its great to have a child who brings glory to their name and the child becomes even happier being everyone’s apple of the eye.

But I need to ask just a single question from you- 95%!! Sounds great but what led you to it? Was it your ‘desire for success’ or simply ‘ fear of failure’ on whose footprints you followed to such heights?

There will be no exaggeration to say that what motivates or drives a student to produce some good results in academics is nothing but a fear of failure, a fear of being ignored if failed, a fear of losing dignity, a fear that pushes us to move forward and a fear that silently says, “Do it or else you’ll be gone, you will be a failure! Yes, a failure!” and the horrified student steps ahead.

I know, to a person getting good ranks in the academic world, it hurts a lot to hear their results being called just a fear but I can’t help speaking the truth. Also, I know how it feels when you see your name at the top, when you hear your name being cheered all around, your teachers patting on your back appreciating you, your colleagues congratulating you and the unforgettable moment happiness and excitement at the moment you have a big, big trophy in your hand with glowing eyes, the sense of pride of pride you feel in yourself, which makes you look high up, the immense power of speech you gain,the inbounding claps you hear from all the directions makes you feel as if you have done the impossible. Seems as if you have reached the top of the world and this feeling makes us even more forgetful about the ‘desire or fear’ query.

After this, have you ever held your trophy in your hands, stared hard at it and interrogated yourself, the same question of Desire Or Fear?

Never! I can undoubtedly say- Never! Never would have anyone of us done that and you know why? Because all of us believe- All’s well that ends well…. The momentary happiness overwhelms our power to think, to recall what we gained and how?

Anyone getting high ranks should not feel as if this has been written to make them feel down and anyone who has not been able to perform well should not feel as if they are being marginalized and paid no attention on. All this can be applied to anyone of you, in fact every one of you. Right from the beginning, we were taught to study for some reason. You may recall your parents saying, “ Come on my child! lets do it or else you will fail, your friends will be ahead of you and you know how it will feel when they will tease you, calling you their junior.” I don’t remember if my mom ever said, “ Beta(Son), study if you want to achieve something other than glory. Don’t just think of passing or failing a class. Education is itself a great word. Its much more than topping the class.” And if your parents did so, I would like to salute them. This is not about me, it is not also about you. Its about our notion regarding education, regarding intellect.

Some of you may ask why discuss this desire or fear when we are getting the________ output?

You know why I left this blank here? The answer to the above question lies in this blank. You will get it as soon as you fill it. The type of results we want, decides the way we choose to achieve them. Desired results comes from desire, it is as simplas that!

We all have forgotten, forgotten to desire and just do a thing only for the reason that it needs to be done.

Let us remind ourselves what to desire and how to desire, let us desire the position we want to achieve, let us desire the appreciation we want to have, and above all-

"Let us desire for success be greater than our fear of failure."