This is my entry for the Contest "New Threats to Freedom," referencing the youtube video "Michael Goodwin on the loss of the freedom to fail."
I am required to post this essay on a site that is visible to the public eye. Please feel free to discuss this topic and agree or disagree with me, but do not edit it in any way, shape or form.
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On Losing Our Freedom To Fail
One will not find it difficult to believe that social promotion protects the self esteem of students in school. A scholar who passes a class feels pleased with himself, and without a doubt is more confident about his upcoming year, certain that he possesses the qualities needed to pass yet another class.
It is impossible, however, to rid our world of failure entirely. Sooner or later every one of us reaches a situation in which we mess up. Whether we like it or not, none of us are going to live an absolutely perfect, carefree life. This does not necessarily mean failure is bad. Indeed, we are provided with knowledge such what to avoid, how to better ourselves, who to trust and how to find a good job. Through failure, we find our mistakes and learn how to keep from making them again.
Considering that every mistake helps us for the future, we must note that failures in small areas keep us from experiencing a tremendous blow to our lives from failures in larger areas. Football players always make mistakes when they practice their plays and technique. In learning from their errors, the team is ready for its first game, a game that will reward the players with favorable odds. Similarly, as a music composer I fail several times at writing a work that is memorable. By correcting my mistakes and learning from them I can avoid the humiliation of premiering music that is despised by the audience.
What happens, then, if we are not allowed to learn from our mistakes? What happens when we lose our freedom to fail? We don’t have any experience to prevent us from making decisions that punish us more than simply affecting our self esteem. We could have disappointments that affect our family, our emotions or even our lives.
Suppose, for example, that one enters a school that believes in social promotion and has incorporated it into practice. The student, of course, will graduate with a high school diploma. When the student enters college and requires remedial work, however, he is required to pay a tremendous amount of finances, perhaps enough to require the student to borrow money that he will have a hard time repaying. To make matters worse, the student may not be able to stay in college, whether due to finances or the lack of knowledge. In a society where one can scarcely get a job without a college degree, this proves to be troublesome for the student who could have used smaller failures to avoid larger ones.
In conclusion, we need the freedom to fail to prepare us for some of life’s greatest challenges. As we learn how to better ourselves in smaller areas, we become better equipped to succeed in larger and more crucial situations. We require accomplishment to function well in our society, and only when we learn from failure are we able to succeed.
