Maggie's Farm

Defining "success" is very difficult. More than anything, it depends on the level of conformity required by a particular culture. In most Arab countries, success means conforming perfectly. A certain haircut, certain clothes, certain ideas, etc. The kids out-do each other in an attempt to conform.

In America, and most Western nations, success means that a certain level of material and social satisfaction has been achieved. It's not really defined by empathy, or charity. Success is the idea that a person is smart enough to combine all the elements of life into a good experience. But "woke" people have been trying to convince the kids that success is the act of losing oneself in the service of others. So if you're cold and hungry, but you raised a thousand dollars for Africa, then you're a success. Serve the people!

So the kids are going to have to learn that success does indeed have a strong material component, and that being happy is a legitimate objective. It doesn't mean that you're selfish. Blacks often accuse of white people of being uncaring. They think that white people should gladly hand over all of thier possessions in order to make "the world" a better place. Blacks feel this way because for them, success is a group activity. Black people are not supposed to succeed as individuals, because competition only leads to inequality. So for blacks, success is blending everyone perfectly into the group. For whites, it means exploring life as an individual, and trying to find a good combination of values, and activities. Those are two completely different objectives.

For the reasons given, whites and blacks will remain at odds until one of those two definitions of success finally wins. Either we'll have a group mentality, where everybody conforms to a narrow set of ideals. Or we'll have an intellectually stimulating environment, where the subject of success gets discussed often, both in the home and the classroom. And each young person will be able to define success for himself.