November is a time for reflection. As the year slowly approaches its end, we re-evaluate our priorities. We ask ourselves whether this has been a successful year for us. But how do we define success?
The concept of what success should look like changes over time. The Swiss-born British philosopher Alain de Botton gives an amusing description of the requirements of high status in ancient societies. In Sparta, in 400BC, the pinnacle of success and high social status belonged to “fighting, aggressive men with large muscles, a vigorous (bi)sexual appetite, little interest in family life, a distaste for business and luxury, and an enthusiasm for killing, especially Athenians, on the battlefield”.
Five centuries after the birth of Christ, Europe passed through a phase of religiosity when leading a holy life was the hallmark of success. Leading a saintly life meant never taking up arms to fight others, shunning material goods, not owning property and fasting regularly was what made saints the symbols of success in early Christianity. St Francis of Assisi claimed he was married to ‘Lady Poverty’. I wonder what would happen to anyone today making such a claim.
At the beginning of the first millennium, Europe shed respect for simple living and embraced the crusades culture. Knights became the symbol of success for five centuries. They usually came from wealthy families, lived in impressive castles, slept in beds, had lavish meals and had no qualms about killing un-Christian people. Their sexual behaviour had no limitations. They were interested in money as long as it came from land and not from trading.
In the 18th and 19th century, success was no longer associated with killing disbelievers. In England, the concept of the ‘gentleman’ was related to the culmination of a successful life. Gentlemen were wealthy. They did very little actual work except for managing their estates. Some dabbled in trading, especially with India. They were very particular about how they dressed and groomed themselves, and many were obsessed with etiquette.
The ideals of status and success often change over time. The qualities of the modern successful person are no longer those that warriors, saints, knights and landed gentlemen had. In today’s western societies, success is associated with the accumulation of wealth and political influence.
Today’s successful people are perceived as having accumulated money, power and renown through their own activities, whether legal or illegal. But the inheritance of wealth is no claim to success. We often deceive ourselves by believing that what matters in modern living is merit.
We can only deserve to claim success when we no longer believe that the acquisition of expensive goods necessarily equates with a high quality of character
Sportspeople, artists, business people and other professionals can accumulate massive wealth. Most people perceive this as a reflection of creativity, courage, intelligence and stamina. Humility and godliness have a low ranking in our league of attributes necessary to achieve success. In today’s secular societies, individual willpower rather than luck and divine providence are behind what many perceive as high achievement.
The flip side of this way of thinking is that those who consider money imbued with ethical qualities believe that financial failure, poverty and unemployment are merited.
If you have money, you are perceived as being successful; if you don’t, it must be from lack of imitative on your part.
Many believe that money is the main contributor to high status and success in life.
They also equate money with happiness. Money undoubtedly gives rich people access to a myriad of consumer goods that only they can afford. Flashy cars, luxurious houses, expensive yachts and the ability to travel to exotic places are some of the must-haves for those who consider themselves successful in life because they are wealthy. We live in a binary age where wealth is linked to virtue and poverty to failure and dubiousness.
The poor are ignored or shunned by their fellow men. It is no wonder that so many then suffer from low self-esteem when they fail the test of success.
We need hardly any proof that the ownership of material goods often does not lead to a successful life that by definition should mean a happy life.
We feel pressured into accumulating wealth to be esteemed in the eyes of our neighbours. We want to keep up with the Joneses lest we be considered as having a lower social ranking among the limited circle of people who know us.
We can only deserve to claim success when we no longer believe that the acquisition of expensive goods necessarily equates with a high quality of character.