h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Fame and fortune would be nice! I often dream of becoming a famous artist and/or writer. How famous is 'famous'? I would say being known by a few people outside of your home town, for *what you do*, could be considered some sort of fame!

I really think I can get that sort of fame ... or better! But, if not ... I'm pretty content with my life.

Still ... success in one's work, for me, is being as good as one can be. In my art I will strive to get better and better towards the point where I can pretty much paint anything my mind can dream up. I am not *nearly* at that point yet, so I can still improve! Realising one can still improve, and working for that improvement, is already a sort of 'success'. Working towards one's potential ... perhaps one never actually comes close to what one *might* have achieved under ideal conditions.

It is of course nice to have a work where one can really develop ones talents and where others can appreciate them also. This is also a kind of 'vocational success'.

But success in one's *work*, or calling, or vocation, or whatever, is not the only kind of success in life!

I think life is in itself a kind of success. Being alive, in itself. But what of babies or children who die very young? Are they 'failures'? In my view, no, because any life at all, counts for something. Life has value, a quality in and of itself, that cannot be 'measured' or quantified with comparisons of one person with another. I would go farther and say, not comparing one *being* with another. We humans consider ourselves a very 'successful' species. Maybe we are not so successful. To me, we would be *more* successful once we achieved the kind of maturity to recognise the success and wonderfulness of other species as well.