We all want to succeed, to achieve things. That is what society instills in us from a very early age. Some people end up being very successful, and some simply shuffle along through life.
In this endless quest, few stop to think: what should really be considered success in life? With what should we reach the finish line so that we can sum up for ourselves in the last moments the measure of our success and say: “Great! I succeeded in life!”
Our inner engine is a desire to have pleasure and enjoyment. That’s why we want to achieve all kinds of things, and when we succeed in achieving them, we feel satisfied. We have existential desires like the desire for food, sex, family; human desires like the desire for money, honor, control, and also a desire for knowledge and education.
The mix of desires we have at any given moment is influenced by our personal inclinations and the environmental influences we absorb. As a result of all these, we set goals for ourselves. On the way to their conquest, we usually encounter competitors and try to win. Achievements and successes are measured in relation to them, of course.
“The mix of desires we have at any given moment is influenced by our personal inclinations and the environmental influences we absorb. As a result of all these, we set goals for ourselves. On the way to their conquest, we usually encounter competitors and try to win. Achievements and successes are measured in relation to them, of course.”
Margaret Thatcher was the daughter of a small grocery store owner. At the age of 24, she ran for a seat in parliament and lost. Thanks to her adherence to her goal, she finally managed to reach the position of British Prime Minister and became known as the “Iron Woman”. For many, she is a symbol of a person who built her success from scratch.
In contrast, those born with a golden spoon in their mouth and who reach high positions through the arrangements of their parents, are treated as less personally successful in life. This is to say: success is measured by one’s degree of investment, effort, and achievement. As we proceed through life, the desire to succeed becomes increasingly clear, sharpens, focuses, and overcoming obstacles on the way to the goal requires that we go through internal changes, building ourselves.
Throughout history there have been people who have aroused a desire to be unique—a desire to realize life to the very fullest. They set themselves the goal of exploring the secret of life itself, the secret of success from a top-down perspective.
“Throughout history there have been people who have aroused a desire to be unique—a desire to realize life to the very fullest. They set themselves the goal of exploring the secret of life itself, the secret of success from a top-down perspective.”
These same individuals asked themselves: Are we born to live, and die like all other creatures in the world, or is there something higher we can achieve during our existence on earth? Is there some eternal goal which will remain in our hands even after the death of the body? After all else—family, wealth, respect, status, expertise, education—all of these things that we cannot take with us when we leave this world?
Usually, people do not think about success at such a level for the simple reason that there are no apparent answers to such big questions. And if this is the case, then why should I delve into such matters? It is better to flow with what unfolds without over scrutinizing. Just set goals for ourselves, invest, achieve, succeed in life like everybody. Eat, drink, enjoy as if there is no tomorrow, because tomorrow we may die.
This is how we have lived from generation to generation, but today we are already beginning to see a change. More and more people are asking themselves, what is the point of all this success if it is clear in advance that we all have an expiration date?
The most advanced discoveries of science, too, reinforce the sense that there is something beyond what we are now able to perceive in our senses, beyond what we now describe as a solid reality. They explain that the image we perceive is completely subjective, and if we were different, we would probably perceive a different picture of reality.
The real space of success is open to those who do not agree to continue living only for the sake of living, but to those who aspire to reveal a wider picture, a higher reality beyond our narrow existence. Gradually, through this research, we are able to attain true success: When we learn and understand that there is a colossal mechanism surrounding our life and our world, a great system which operates and guides us. This goal prepares us in great depth to develop from the animate level to the human level, to enter the wide world of eternity and to understand why it exists.
