Success?

I spend no less than four hours a day reading. Not for leisure, but for the intellectual stimulation that is education. I can read, process what I've read, and verbalize that analysis. I can write, express my thoughts, and communicate my learnings. This makes me "successful" in the eyes of society. In many ways, it makes me more "successful" than the guys that fix my car and change my oil, or the men and women who grow the crops that I consume, or the men that come on a weekly basis to landscape the complex (which is an art form, I'm convinced). More "successful" than the single mom that uses her home as a daycare or the father who never utters a word of complaint about his "day job", because it enables him to provide for his family.

Am I really more successful? Does the fact that I'm up at 5:30 AM reading advanced academic writings and writing lengthy research papers really make me more successful? If success is defined by the number of degrees one obtains, or the employability of an individual, then sure I'm headed in that direction. But what about overcoming obstacles? What about honest hard work and a genuine appreciation of life?

My success doesn't lie solely in the fact that I am educated, but rather that I am pursuing what I am passionate about and what I am convinced that I am purposed for. I refuse to look at any student, peer, colleague, or individual as any less of a person or any less of a success because they may not know what a comma splice is or what Emile Durkheim's writings suggest. Instead, I would much rather spend my energy appreciating the fact that life is a collaborative effort in which I'm blessed to participate. And that without the contributions made by those around me, I would not survive.

As a nation, we place a great emphasis on the "individual attainment of success." But what exactly defines said success? Is the means as important as the attainment itself? It may be beneficial to seriously consider this idea as our poplulation continues to increase, and as the number of individuals that attain academic success increases. If our definition of success remains as narrow as it is, competition will only intensify.