Today, I had an intriguing discussion with a friend regarding “Success” over brunch at Mc Donald’s. A heavy discussion regarding the philosophy about our future lives was sparked off. It made me wonder, how suddenly “the boring subject” of philosophy becomes a topic of interesting discussion, when I fail to do something and start looking for choices; and the philosophies that make those choices most appropriate. We talked about “success” and how it meant different to different people. Like it would mean an MBA from IIM for someone, it would mean a successful business for someone else. Purchasing a car may be success for someone whereas for someone else who already owns a Mercedez-Benz, a Ferrari would mean success! I think that in order to achieve this success one can go through mediocre ways or outstanding ways. During our discussion, we had a presumed idea that the outstanding pathway was the one for us. But, then as we went on talking about it (and as I kept gulping down the fries), we could start relating SUCCESS to society; rules;groups of people and then finally also about the nature of people who achieve success (and those who fail).

Let me elaborate on the same: Imagine Adam: there was no one besides him in the whole world when he was born. Now, he thinks that a man should wear skirts. Another man is born, he sees that the more experienced Adam is wearing a skirt and hence, so should he. With more and more members joining the group everyone starts practising that tradition. But there will be a few who will oppose this and would want to wear something else, because they think that what the society does or practises is not necessarily correct / appropriate. (They are like those revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh and Gandhi in our Indian Freedom Struggle!!!) Hence, one of the few (say Paul) opposes this idea and goes till the lenghts of designing an actual first ever pair of trousers. Now, in a society where all men are wearing skirts in that region, a man regularly boasts trousers. He goes through the suffering of getting humiliated by his friends; being teased upon while walking down to church every morning. He’s least bothered by all this but walks his way through ( literally ).Finally, after a lot many adventures he spreads his innovative idea (design) across nations to all men, and what do you know? Everyone likes it and the “trousers” become a part of every man’s wardrobe. Paul is famous and we realize that Adam and his gang are Scottish!

Now, the point is not that you can design something better and deviate from the typical and become famous and achieve success; the point is that only when you think different and donot follow the norms/rules/traditions of the society can you achieve success. Away from the gang, one might think that he has lost his head; but he had found his way out to prove to the world that what he thought was even better than what many others thought. Someone like Galileo who supported the Copernicus Theory.

As the fries got hard and too chewy to eat, I sipped down my cold coffee and thought how many times have I been a part of Adam’s gang. Being a part of college, a part of the society, with the norms, the do’s and the don’ts, and the way things are supposed to be done; I have and many of us have I beleive “followed suit”; without giving a thought to what’s “just the right” thing for me. That happens in all walks of life, whether its about one’s career or about going to the most “happening” place in town.I thought many people with their abberations and their own different choices made more sense than the usual crowd in class. I felt many people in the society who were doing something totally different from the typical were not abnormal but more sensible.

Bill Gates dropped out of college to start Microsoft; we know Ambani was a “Dhobi” by profession; we also know that Albert Einstien had abberations in his thinking! Still me and my friend, as we left the table thought that we like many others were atleast now, a part of Adam’s gang in some ways if not all. Are you someone like that too?

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