The Value of Success

I saw a number of posts ruminating on the success of Qu Puteh and D'Herbs founders. I want to use these two examples to make a point about success. It should be obvious to everyone the importance of the values of hard work and self-motivation, but as with a lot of things that have been overpraised, it speaks more about our values and perception on what we choose to elevate. (Also, it’s a matter of good taste, and good judgment).

Robert Oppenheimer* was successful in creating the first atomic bomb in the world. Alexander Fleming was successful in developing the antibiotic penicillin. These two were inarguably successful in achieving their mission and objectives. However, we all know that the former had a terribly negative impact but the latter brought a significantly positive change to the society.

What change does perpetuating the value of wealth by pushing down material excess down the throats of the society bring to the table? Qu Puteh and D'Herbs are brands, they are not even good quality brands, but they are heavily marketed. 

Simply put, it’s catchy materialism: attracting people to buy things they don’t need for the purpose of good business (Is this how you define a good business?). Additionally, it is bad because it runs the narrative of how fairness is equated to be beautiful, thus contributing towards a corrupted interpretation of beauty - we know how this affects the self-esteem of a lot of young people. There’s nothing to be admired about such vacuous products - especially when they also negatively impact the society.

The more important point is how we value success. If we aim to be successful in order to get material wealth or more money, what does that speak about us? Money is not an object, it is not an end of itself. If we continue to pursue emptiness, we will never truly be satisfied. That is why we need to set our mind on doing things that really make a positive change for ourselves, and even better, contributes to a positive change in the society.

Ultimately, though, we need to realise that success should be on our own terms, and not defined according to others’ interpretations. Do what we love to do, no matter how much it pays.

*Robert Oppenheimer was part of the Manhattan Project - a research and development project that produced the first nuclear weapons during WWII. It was led by the US with the support of the UK and Canada.