In space there is no up or down

Success is good, but it is so short-lived. Failure is probably good although it doesn't feel that way. It shows where the weak spots are. The funny thing about that is that every situation is unique, so the failure just insures that if the same situation were to happen, it would be better because we presumably learn from our mistakes. But, very rarely does the same situation happen twice. So, we make mistakes time and again.

There are a number of sayings about failure. Ben Franklin is said to have penned, "I didn't fail the test, I just found 100 ways to do it wrong." Stephen Kaqqua wrote, "Try and fail, but don't fail to try." Colin Powell said, "There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure."

It is true, though, that failure teaches us. In both our efforts put into a situation and our reaction to the results of our efforts, we learn about our personalities, our limitations, our desires, and our need to try again for success. And it this latter, our need for success, combined with the short-lived nature of success that keeps us pedaling forward, not becoming complacent. So, failure and success really have the same outcome. Maybe we don't need the two words since they have the same effect. The only difference in the two words is the way we feel. One feels good, one feels awful. Even the feelings can be harnessed, though. So, we should just have one word for the outcome of efforts.