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SUCCESS AND THE VANITY OF THE DESIRE
By Velemir RADOVAN
A possible assumption
The existentiality of each of us relates to the philosophy of life, faith and the fundamental physical universe. This sum of physical values and ideational principles is not a paradox of the imagined approach, but rather a „zero” point from which a certain kind of modern understanding of ancient wisdom is imposed. The human existence develops a certain kind of certainty with three vectors of reference: biological, psychological and social. The evolution of the present human civilization along a sinusoidal path has highlighted the primordiality of one human reference vector or another or their different relationships. Individual, group or societal interests have been „imprinted” not necessarily for their identification, but rather for the highlighting of the means and forms of biological survival and human development. The above-mentioned individual connotations may in many situations collide with macro-social reference coordinates referring to economic, financial, political, cultural, social communication (including that achieved through high-tech means), geopolitical, religious, leisure factors or various (formal/informal) more or less known organisational entities.
This introductory reminder induces a sense of the need for a historical, psychological and social perspective in addressing social or group performance factors as well as individual success factors. In the case of a pragmatic analyses, a set of specific methods, techniques and tests will be required to ensure a relevant assessment beyond the space of common-sense knowledge.
The individual and social space of success. Case study
The 20th century was a time when a number of fields of knowledge in the human and social sphere were subject to new theoretical and conceptual approaches, and to the extension of this research to new areas of interest. The dynamics of these gnoseological „movements” were beyond any sociological imagination. The type of social convention adopted imposes the person as the centre of attention, as the initial and final social actor, with a multitude of assimilated social processes. The aura of associated psychological processes can be unique or diverse, complex and incongruous. Each person is unique, represented by a natural „giving”, complemented by a specific upbringing and socialization, on top of which the lived multivector experiences are superimposed.
Accepting, in a general sense, the theoretical delimitations imposed in relation to the person, we will be able to „push” the approach under consideration on the way forward. On the lips of tens of millions of people one can „read” every day: success, success factor, success principles, success evaluation, sources of success, etc. However, there is no single paradigm of success, but only sets of principles and personal decisions.
Success coexists with failure in a somewhat contradictory social duality. Success is not a permanent mental and existential state. For lasting success, individual effort must be embedded in a palpable continuity and ability to adapt quickly to new challenges, but also through an internalization adapted to the realization of a strong motivation to achieve the goal. We will feel mentally stronger as successes begin to occur. Discover for yourself this phenomenal mental strength you have.
This type of success is only logical and rational.
WHO AM I?
“The whole interest of my reason, both speculative and practical, is contained in the following three questions:
- What can I know?
- What should I do?
- What am I allowed to hope for?”
Immanuel Kant
The answers to these existential questions of the philosopher I. Kant can outline a non-conformist profile to me. To list all the documents and papers acquired during a lifetime is a simplistic activity of revealing officially recognized competences. This path is necessary, but is it sufficient to run the obstacle course on the road to success?
1.“What can I know?”
A crumb of the unpredictable infinity that overwhelms us, with the hope of permanently finding myself in a status quo of orderly mental gymnastics. I’m surrounded by a lot of informational waste that doesn’t need to be recycled, but just rejected from my own mental space. Do I have an alternative to the previous statement? Possibly/probably. The way forward: just rigorously searching and selecting information that can be useful in your theoretical, conceptual, methodological or pragmatic approach, in the gnoseology of your area of interest or concern. I apply a simple set of principles. I am analytical, I am rational, I am logical, I am critical.
2.“What should I do?”
I should never stop from the mental process suggested above, understood as a perpetuum mobile of first range. A good friend wrote to me recently, „May Your Passion And Purpose Forever Be Aliened, May You Possess The Power To Never Give Up!”. The transcendence of time or processes that I may face should not be a reason to „pause” on the long journey of my wise search into the fundamental physical space to which both Earth and all beings that inhabit it belong. There are no limits. Only the human knowledge has limits.
3.“What am I allowed to hope for?”
I can only hope that I will not live to see the exhaustion of the current human civilization. That I will have an extended opportunity to enjoy the energy and light of the Sun in our universe. The other components of our lives are included in the philosophy of life of each of us. I hope that I am allowed to bless the important gods of the ancient mythology, the ones who gave meaning to present-day human and societal existence. It is impossible to understand our entire ancestral becoming. The further you go down the corridors of knowledge, the more you will almost intuitively notice the decay of the historical „truth” presented.
THE VANITY OF THE DESIRE
The proposed phrase, „the vanity of the desire”, is not a contradiction in terms by reference to the etymology of the two words. The use of this phrase in an attempt to surpass the inner introspection of success seems relevant to me. Self-esteem and its social recognition require an attitude of acceptance, even if indirect, of success. Self-fulfilment comes from man’s instinctive pleasure in making the most of his own abilities, perhaps also for the sake of the permanence of success. There are also specialists who claim that those who have reached this level are positioned in a state of transcendence. Their potential is linked to the potential of the species.
The individual success is a permanent psychological connection between the information sent by the human senses, their perception and their analysis at the level of the brain. The reaction to such external stimuli can be instantaneous or limited to a time interval. There are many, many examples where this type of feedback is accompanied by unbridled pride, arrogance, infatuation, vain ambitions, a desire to make an impression, a certain type of verbal violence, etc. It is necessary to distinguish between performance and success, even if this process is difficult in certain situations. For example, an Olympic champion has achieved a remarkable performance, but also personal success. The duality of understanding reflects the physical and psychological connection in understanding the human being.
The uncontrolled vanity induces a subjective overestimation of success, with the prospect of erroneous evaluations (for the future) regarding the activities in the business area (for example). Failures (having multiple causes) generate numerous human dramas, dramas that do not choose their subjects. In most published studies and research, these issues are not highlighted. Human behaviour has been subject to standardised assessments and measurements in recent decades. The success factor has not been an exception. The academic and university environment has made such knowledge tools available to those interested, including the self-assessment method.
The story of a real thinker was told in a temporally indeterminate perimeter. Success is glimpsed in a certain kind of introspection of the self. Let us materialize the statement. The Hamangia Thinker*( …. 7000 years ago) or the truth( or success) beyond the horizon.
*See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py9a1P6mVac
The text represents the point of view of the author
Sir.Velemir Radovan, PhD.
