Sam, another weekly gem. It is liberating to be prepared for a failure and better to experience one. I use “worst case scenario” thoughts exploration to prepare in case of failure and remove the anxiety of the unknown. I also think that you are being too kind to our current education system which has been removing meritocracy and rewarding participation or worse, practicing selective segregation.
I agree with this, and I would also add that while it is good to be prepared for failure, we can also be so focused on it that it becomes our reality-- a self-fulfilling prophecy.
My mentor says, "worrying is just praying for something bad to happen." So the caveat I would add is-- prepare for the worst, hope for the best. This keeps optimism and positivity in equal balance with pessimism and realism.
I agree with Barry, Sam—this is another gem—that’s exactly the word that came to mind as I read this outstanding article.
You’re really an unusually excellent combination of consequential life experience, deep and illuminating thinking, and a gift for expository prose of the first quality.
I loved these observations:
“The achievement society, then, does not so much care about soul-deep purpose as it does for skin-deep appearance.”
“ . . . we not only find a cult of failure in war, but in sport, entrepreneurship, and other ever-faithful pockets of the modern world where consequences cannot be hidden from, and where an enemy is front and center. This makes it clear why academia is ground zero for this anti-failure ideology – rarely, if ever, does it bleed or die as a result of its own foolish ideas.”
“The achievement society is unfinished and does not know it. It is ignorant on a biblical scale because it never knew what-it-is-to-have-an-enemy. Despite wolves with freshly red fangs pacing on its peripheries . . . . it stands in horror of the letter F while little more than empty air stands between it and annihilation. We might make a prophesy: the achievement society may one day be found guilty by those whose first taste of failure is a free-falling helicopter in war instead of an F in peace.
So much for civilization.”
I can see a book evolving from these wonderful essays.
Chris, it is deeply appreciated. And your intuition might be right. I love the Substack platform because it lets us hit the ideas we love from many different angles and constantly iterate. I'm grateful you're finding value here.
Spot on. Read “Chickenhawk” years ago and still remember it well. As for failure, I’ve always like Denzel Washington - “If you don’t fail you’re not even trying.”
Out of college, I was a teacher for six years. I was set for life. Barring doing anything really stupid, I could not fail.
And I felt stifled. I went out into the world with nothing more than a desire to find out how I might define myself, free of the constrictions of predefined goals. Still working on it. Still loving it. And, yes, failure is part of it. It must be, or you haven't really lived.
Sam, I just read and shared this with a colleague and dear friend of mine. We taught together for 21 years in a district which adopted, in our latter years together, multiple initiatives zeroing in on “no fail” scenarios.
While some efforts such as eliminating and arbitrary grade scale in favor of criterion-based 0-4 or 0-6 as per IB standards were things we could find sense in, what dumbfounded each of us was the “no fail” manifesting as “no 0, even if they didn’t turn anything in.” Huh? In what world does doing nothing as assigned result in anything more than a failure?
In my mind it is an abject capitulation to the parents who see any evaluation of their child’s work as an assessment of their humanity. And, in many cases the parent regards assessment of child’s performance as a statement on their worth as a parent.
While it’s possible Jimmy’s schoolwork sucked, he’s a d*$k, and his parents are substandard, it’s far more likely Jimmy simply didn’t do passable work, is a good kid with parents who are easing him well.
Unfortunately, as society continues to value nonsensical “sharing” of how great and amazing kids are and therefore parents are, too, the “no fail” nature of things will only become more pronounced.
This is a prime example of the achievement society. But you also bring in a strange ego component that I had not thought of from the parents perspective. I appreciate the comments and thoughts. Thank you, Chuck.
The greatest reason for the National Training Center’s importance was its ability to push the failures that are the greatest moments of learning for the battlefield. If the Army starts ending careers because of failures there we are in big trouble. My greatest hope from the reportedly burgeoning spread of wargaming in our military is that it offers more opportunities to learn from failures. In my years studying war and wargaming two thoughts have always been forward in my mind, Clausewitz’s discussion of friction and Mrs. Murphy’s assurance that her husband Sergeant Murphy was an optimist.
It's interesting to consider how some have a failure mindset while others don't. For example, I sometimes find myself thinking, "what's the fail here?" or "what's the worst outcome?" and then I just accept that outcome, playing through the worst case scenario, whether that outcomes is death, rejection, or expensive bill. Prompted by your piece, I'm left thinking about related concepts and how they interplay with the achiever mentality: worry, fear.
Thank you, Jesse. It seems like there are many interesting dynamics at play here. Especially because the achievement, like you noted, not only doesn’t allow failure, but stigmatizes it. I like your mental practice. There is brilliance in the basics.
It’s been a couple of decades since I read Chickenhawk, but I recall that I had to reread the last page or paragraph of that book because I was floored by Mr. Mason’s postwar story.
I was stunned when I read his post war journey. They didn’t understand PTSD back then and he went pretty deep down the rabbit hole. He will never be able to say he didn’t live a full life.
I just underwent surgery for my hip from testing my limits-- and finding them, painfully.
I was explaining to a female friend about how I had another injury just a few months ago. She said, "why are you so frail?" I laughed a little bit. She took it back immediately, realizing how harmful the comment might be. I told her not to apologize, because I knew in my heart all my injuries (and I have had many) are not from frailty, but from pushing myself all the time. And every time I have surpassed my limits (either in success or failure), I have learned something.
The weakest parts of my body are now my strongest, because I have learned how to properly use them.
I love what you said about killing with a smile. That is exactly what anti-failure communities do-- what many parents now do with their children by refusing to discipline them, to the chagrin of all other bystanders in every public setting.
And you are absolutely right that this is most true in academia. I strongly considered getting my Master's in Literature, but as I reviewed the possible faculty at my top choices for schools, I was blown away by how many of the "professors" have had so little success. Almost every one I looked at has published 5-9 books, yet all of their books had <3 reviews on Amazon. Why would I trust them to teach me literature and teach me how to become a better writer? In Academia, it is impossible to fail, unless you go against the grain of the mainstream.
Phenomenal comment and thoughts, Grant, thank you. Your observation on books published and readership/engagement on them speaks volumes. This is one of the reasons I love Substack. It is reach, the chance to iterate, to refine thoughts and impact. It is totally disrupting the same by allowing for mini bouts of “failure” and allowing us to dial in our philosophies.
Exactly. I used to have dozens of drafts that laid around unpublished, because they were never "good enough." Finally my friend convinced me to just start publishing, despite--even because-- they were unfinished. He said something like "it's not about perfecting the writing, but perfecting the writer." That totally changed my mindset. Now, almost two years later, I am an infinitely better writer.
"What then is the nature of the “achievement society” that gave birth to this anti-failure ideology?" Profit! With an A+ and a smile, like you said so eloquently.
The wonder and care you have is not in the narrative. The nature of this "flight of success" stampedes on its own instruments of progress. Until a new shape appears with the same spirit of wickedness.
Icarus knew and ignored the right frequency-
There is one channel to it. The straight and the narrow.
Sam, another weekly gem. It is liberating to be prepared for a failure and better to experience one. I use “worst case scenario” thoughts exploration to prepare in case of failure and remove the anxiety of the unknown. I also think that you are being too kind to our current education system which has been removing meritocracy and rewarding participation or worse, practicing selective segregation.
I agree with this, and I would also add that while it is good to be prepared for failure, we can also be so focused on it that it becomes our reality-- a self-fulfilling prophecy.
My mentor says, "worrying is just praying for something bad to happen." So the caveat I would add is-- prepare for the worst, hope for the best. This keeps optimism and positivity in equal balance with pessimism and realism.
Both are excellent points, and the "worst case scenario" is a golden exercise. Thank you, Barry.
I agree with Barry, Sam—this is another gem—that’s exactly the word that came to mind as I read this outstanding article.
You’re really an unusually excellent combination of consequential life experience, deep and illuminating thinking, and a gift for expository prose of the first quality.
I loved these observations:
“The achievement society, then, does not so much care about soul-deep purpose as it does for skin-deep appearance.”
“ . . . we not only find a cult of failure in war, but in sport, entrepreneurship, and other ever-faithful pockets of the modern world where consequences cannot be hidden from, and where an enemy is front and center. This makes it clear why academia is ground zero for this anti-failure ideology – rarely, if ever, does it bleed or die as a result of its own foolish ideas.”
“The achievement society is unfinished and does not know it. It is ignorant on a biblical scale because it never knew what-it-is-to-have-an-enemy. Despite wolves with freshly red fangs pacing on its peripheries . . . . it stands in horror of the letter F while little more than empty air stands between it and annihilation. We might make a prophesy: the achievement society may one day be found guilty by those whose first taste of failure is a free-falling helicopter in war instead of an F in peace.
So much for civilization.”
I can see a book evolving from these wonderful essays.
Chris, it is deeply appreciated. And your intuition might be right. I love the Substack platform because it lets us hit the ideas we love from many different angles and constantly iterate. I'm grateful you're finding value here.
Thought provoking and inspiring.
Also see Nam Heli-hero book: "We Saved SOG Souls"
Thank you! Buying this book write now. Stoked to dig into it.
Spot on. Read “Chickenhawk” years ago and still remember it well. As for failure, I’ve always like Denzel Washington - “If you don’t fail you’re not even trying.”
That is the truth. Thanks for jumping in, Tim.
Out of college, I was a teacher for six years. I was set for life. Barring doing anything really stupid, I could not fail.
And I felt stifled. I went out into the world with nothing more than a desire to find out how I might define myself, free of the constrictions of predefined goals. Still working on it. Still loving it. And, yes, failure is part of it. It must be, or you haven't really lived.
Epic comment and journey - and the piece about not really living is truly the heart of the matter.
Sam, I just read and shared this with a colleague and dear friend of mine. We taught together for 21 years in a district which adopted, in our latter years together, multiple initiatives zeroing in on “no fail” scenarios.
While some efforts such as eliminating and arbitrary grade scale in favor of criterion-based 0-4 or 0-6 as per IB standards were things we could find sense in, what dumbfounded each of us was the “no fail” manifesting as “no 0, even if they didn’t turn anything in.” Huh? In what world does doing nothing as assigned result in anything more than a failure?
In my mind it is an abject capitulation to the parents who see any evaluation of their child’s work as an assessment of their humanity. And, in many cases the parent regards assessment of child’s performance as a statement on their worth as a parent.
While it’s possible Jimmy’s schoolwork sucked, he’s a d*$k, and his parents are substandard, it’s far more likely Jimmy simply didn’t do passable work, is a good kid with parents who are easing him well.
Unfortunately, as society continues to value nonsensical “sharing” of how great and amazing kids are and therefore parents are, too, the “no fail” nature of things will only become more pronounced.
This is a prime example of the achievement society. But you also bring in a strange ego component that I had not thought of from the parents perspective. I appreciate the comments and thoughts. Thank you, Chuck.
The greatest reason for the National Training Center’s importance was its ability to push the failures that are the greatest moments of learning for the battlefield. If the Army starts ending careers because of failures there we are in big trouble. My greatest hope from the reportedly burgeoning spread of wargaming in our military is that it offers more opportunities to learn from failures. In my years studying war and wargaming two thoughts have always been forward in my mind, Clausewitz’s discussion of friction and Mrs. Murphy’s assurance that her husband Sergeant Murphy was an optimist.
Agree wholeheartedly, thank you for the comment. I have to imagine Sergeant Murphy is an optimist - decision makers simply need to remember that.
It's interesting to consider how some have a failure mindset while others don't. For example, I sometimes find myself thinking, "what's the fail here?" or "what's the worst outcome?" and then I just accept that outcome, playing through the worst case scenario, whether that outcomes is death, rejection, or expensive bill. Prompted by your piece, I'm left thinking about related concepts and how they interplay with the achiever mentality: worry, fear.
Thank you, Jesse. It seems like there are many interesting dynamics at play here. Especially because the achievement, like you noted, not only doesn’t allow failure, but stigmatizes it. I like your mental practice. There is brilliance in the basics.
Savage takedown of academia-but well-deserved!
It’s been a couple of decades since I read Chickenhawk, but I recall that I had to reread the last page or paragraph of that book because I was floored by Mr. Mason’s postwar story.
I was stunned when I read his post war journey. They didn’t understand PTSD back then and he went pretty deep down the rabbit hole. He will never be able to say he didn’t live a full life.
I just underwent surgery for my hip from testing my limits-- and finding them, painfully.
I was explaining to a female friend about how I had another injury just a few months ago. She said, "why are you so frail?" I laughed a little bit. She took it back immediately, realizing how harmful the comment might be. I told her not to apologize, because I knew in my heart all my injuries (and I have had many) are not from frailty, but from pushing myself all the time. And every time I have surpassed my limits (either in success or failure), I have learned something.
The weakest parts of my body are now my strongest, because I have learned how to properly use them.
I love what you said about killing with a smile. That is exactly what anti-failure communities do-- what many parents now do with their children by refusing to discipline them, to the chagrin of all other bystanders in every public setting.
And you are absolutely right that this is most true in academia. I strongly considered getting my Master's in Literature, but as I reviewed the possible faculty at my top choices for schools, I was blown away by how many of the "professors" have had so little success. Almost every one I looked at has published 5-9 books, yet all of their books had <3 reviews on Amazon. Why would I trust them to teach me literature and teach me how to become a better writer? In Academia, it is impossible to fail, unless you go against the grain of the mainstream.
Phenomenal comment and thoughts, Grant, thank you. Your observation on books published and readership/engagement on them speaks volumes. This is one of the reasons I love Substack. It is reach, the chance to iterate, to refine thoughts and impact. It is totally disrupting the same by allowing for mini bouts of “failure” and allowing us to dial in our philosophies.
Exactly. I used to have dozens of drafts that laid around unpublished, because they were never "good enough." Finally my friend convinced me to just start publishing, despite--even because-- they were unfinished. He said something like "it's not about perfecting the writing, but perfecting the writer." That totally changed my mindset. Now, almost two years later, I am an infinitely better writer.
Could not agree more. It is not the page but the brain. Appreciate you sharing, Grant.
"What then is the nature of the “achievement society” that gave birth to this anti-failure ideology?" Profit! With an A+ and a smile, like you said so eloquently.
The wonder and care you have is not in the narrative. The nature of this "flight of success" stampedes on its own instruments of progress. Until a new shape appears with the same spirit of wickedness.
Icarus knew and ignored the right frequency-
There is one channel to it. The straight and the narrow.
Loved it!
Thank you Persephone! Profit is an epic angle to this form of society. Illuminating thoughts as always.
Unrelated but timely, probably mainly preaching to the choir… it was just a great ride to listen to this morning. Sasha Stone:
https://open.substack.com/pub/sashastone/p/trump-for-dummies
Thanks Barry,I will check this out