In Defence of Failure

There used to be a guy in my college who dropped out. Not that he wasn't smart, but he wasn't getting the results that he wanted. There was one thing very special about him: he gave the best advice. Why? you'd think. He had already failed in his techniques. So he knew they didn't work. He would always suggest something different from other people.

Failure carries a very negative connotation in our minds. To fail is to lose. And to lose is bad. Is it really so?

I don't agree. While failing leaves a very bad taste, it does leave experiences and lessons. Just like a flood, that destroys everything that stood, but leaves new soil. Just like Ford Motors made their best selling car, Mustang, after their worst failure, Edsel.

And after all, why do we fail in the first try? Because we were not aware of the factors that would cause our failure. What happens right after? Yes, there is misery. There is despair. But then, there is also experience. There is also knowledge. The knowledge we did not have.

Knowledge comes faster by failing than by doing nothing.