“I have tried. I have failed. No matter. I will try again. I will fail better.”
Samuel Beckett
Our time terned out itself to be one-dimensional, as predicted by sociologist Mancuse, where the principle of performance of bodies and thoughts is imperative. We feel compelled to behave like efficient machines, to run as fast as possible, to be perfect. This ‘monadic time’—described by Adorno—affects young people in particular, who in recent decades have suffered from an increase in hyperactivity syndrome, with evident signs of constant restlessness and a growing difficulty concentrating and reflecting.
We are all integral parts of this reality. We are all imprisoned in a culture of the Self, where personal value is closely tied to the pursuit of self-affirmation. The world itself is reduced to a spectacle, a stage on which we must constantly showcase our Ego, perpetually competing to be the protagonists, to come first, to demonstrate undeniable determination.
We live in the time of ‘Ego-Cracy,’ as Lacan ironically defined it, where the Ego becomes the new pagan idol, an entity that does not tolerate failure, disorientation, or stumbling.
Hegel reminds us that ‘the peculiarity of existence is wandering. The journey.’ Wandering-error, in the double meaning the terms indicate, through which we can encounter our inner truth, our deepest and most genuine desires. We cannot grow and transform without embarking on a journey that includes failure, which pushes us to reassess our lives and question the meaning and direction we wish to pursue.
We should welcome mistakes and failures with joy as achievements. It is only in the falls and stumbles that we can truly understand the true meaning of our existential journey and find our authentic path in life.
We should not fear what we do not know. It is useless to try to control what frightens us, because life is stronger than any of our attempts to dominate it. Let us embrace the experience of disarmament, of weakness, of failure, because it is precisely in those dark moments that the brightest light of change and possibility is hidden.
Loosely based on Praise of Failure by Massimo Recalcati