Collins dictionary gives the meaning of success as 1. the favorable outcome of something attempted 2. the attainment of wealth, fame etc.

 

Value

People tend to ignore the first meaning, and interpret success only as the attainment of wealth and fame. It is this that leads to the arrogance of the successful (financially) in their perception that everyone should like to be like them and be in awe of what they do, and also be impressed by their accumulation of capital.

Apart from being a very narrow and trite perception of human endeavor, that money and personal adulation are the ultimate aspects of success. This notion of success it is a condition that affects a small minority of the population. but has a great effect through propaganda and the media to the greater majority That, in order to ‘succeed’ you will only find success through the use of these value systems

Meaning of success

What we need to concentrate on is the positive aspects of human endeavor that is the true marker for success. This has nothing to do with phony actors and actresses who live phony lives or entertainers and managers who sell nostalgia to line their pockets. Nor is it about the politicians who back up the afore mentioned in order to keep the public submerged in pap and unaware of what they are up to.

Nor is it about the great leaders, the Martin Luther King’s, the Gandhi’s the leaders and great figures of social change. It is about the ordinary people who put these great people up on the platform where they could be heard. The people who were murdered and the families sacrificed, the organizers, long forgotten who presented a stage for the great people (the successful ) to speak. The women who brought up families and bring up families during the struggles inherent in standing up for social change.

This is where you will find the true meaning of success. The type of success you will find in communities which is anathema to the producers of cheap television.

Agents of change

The real agents of change as Chomsky, reminds us are pushed out of history. When was the last time you saw one in the SUN, or on the telly? An ordinary person who new what they were talking about, in politics, economics, culture? When was the last time you saw an ordinary member of the public on the television for an achievement worthy of success other than winning a prize on the lottery? Very rarely. They do not seem to exist. So long as people think it is Great Men, entertainers, pop stars, personalities, experts and politicians who do things, they can change nothing.

Most importantly

I do not remember who said it but it runs something like this. The greatest danger to those who seek to control your futures is the realization that you can achieve things without Great Men. That you can achieve success by conquering reachable goals and you will – act on these impulses