Time to Meditate on Failure

The end of 2013 is upon us, and it’s time for all good, self-loathing people to take stock of their year’s successes and failures. Who better to turn to for inspiration than Christine Quinn, who recently lost the race to become New York City’s next mayor and gives such great interview:

Quinn — who said she prays every morning and night — is still processing her political defeat.

“I’m not done thinking about it,” she admitted. “I’m very, very annoyed and disappointed that my plan wasn’t God’s plan. I really want to know what the reason is. I’m not interested in waiting 10 years and being like, ‘Oh, my God, that’s the reason why it happened!’ I’d like to know now.”

I am going to bookmark that response to use when I get rejected from all the grad programs I applied to last night. Or at least the ones I submitted my writing sample to with a HUGE TYPO on the first page. The fact that I didn’t cry over this, though, I am counting as a success.

In the meantime, perhaps Christine Quinn and me and everyone we know should spend some time reading this incredibly intense New York Times guest philosopher column by Costica Bratadan, “In Praise of Failure”:

Ultimately, our capacity to fail makes us what we are; our being as essentially failing creatures lies at the root of any aspiration. Failure, fear of it and learning how to avoid it in the future are all part of a process through which the shape and destiny of humanity are decided. That’s why, as I hinted earlier, the capacity to fail is something that we should absolutely preserve, no matter what the professional optimists say. Such a thing is worth treasuring, even more so than artistic masterpieces, monuments or other accomplishments. For, in a sense, the capacity to fail is much more important than any individual human achievements: It is that which makes them possible.

Just remember: we’re all going to die, and it will be SUPER annoying.

Photo: CS_McMahon

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