Freedom to Choose to Succeed

Everybody has a right to fail or succeed; yet, the definitions have changed. What is success or failure, have we lost them and what do they have to do with what freedom means? One of the new threats to freedom is obscure terms and phrases. In an effort to be “politically-correct,” there has been more blending and blurring of boundaries than ever!

Michael Goodwin says in his video about the loss of the freedom to fail,”The danger in the entitlement mania sweeping the country is that success becomes an endangered species. If we lose failure, if nobody can fail, then nobody can succeed…nobody rises above, nobody strives, nobody creates, nobody builds, nobody tinkers, nobody invents. That’s the kind of society that loses its vitality, that loses its opportunity and sits around waits for a handout. That would be the death of the American dream.” His definitions are clear and I firmly agree.

Success is the ability to be you, take what you have and make something new for all to benefit from. Failure is missing a step while trying to succeed; many have experienced it but many now come to avoid it through manipulation, because of a false sense of entitlement. Still, true failure is sitting and taking! This nation was built of strong spirit and hard work but less and less seem to appreciate that. To manipulate is to infringe upon the very freedoms that got us so far and this is costly when you must later compensate for what was not earlier enforced! Also, who immediately suffers are those who abide by the standard because whosoever appears most needy receives priority and preferential treatment when it comes to being “rescued” and “bailed out.” Hence, the welfare crisis.

Eagles teach their young to fly by making the nest uncomfortable, lifting the bird onto their back and repeatedly dropping and catching them until they use their wings properly while being dropped! We are stronger than birds! Let us not limit ourselves, believing that we deserve every good thing without struggling if necessary. Not everything can be loaned. This country is in debt! Nearly nothing is free. Federal and City funds received by citizens for various reasons, whether from court cases, weekly paychecks or even welfare, are from tax-payers, anyway. What about emergencies? How can we afford to prevent, control and recover from any catastrophic disaster with all of that money unwisely spent?

Many seniors refuse to retire because of the grim prospect of not receiving anything after. There goes even less jobs for the very large, under-25-year old population. Now, how can one have a right to fail or succeed if one cannot be hired? You can use other resources and work around that system, not through manipulation but by free enterprise, with the same spirit that brought our ancestors here for freedom. Freedom is the ability to make choices in life for your own person. So, you choose – success or failure?