How do u value a person??? What makes you successful???

If you had to value a person, how would you go about it? What criteria would you consider, and what would your weights be? Looks, success, character, intelligence, wit? And even if you did come up with a system, how would you measure these highly subjective attributes?

Society from ages past has developed a system of proxies to measure these qualities. Success is measured by your bank balance, goodness of heart by the charitable donations, intelligence by the degrees and institutions you go to. The problem sets in when we take these proxies to be the real thing...

Take degree and education for instance. Low marks could easily mean that you didn't study that day, or this examination didn't test what you are good at, you are so smart that the examiner didn't understand you (quite possible in our system) or that you were plain unlucky. Everyone knows the shortcomings of our education system. But it's scary to see the dependence everyone, from your nosy neighbour to your potential recruiter have on these highly faulty measures to measure your intelligence. And so, to prove their intelligence, people go around collecting degrees like postage stamps. First the engineering degree, then the masters, then the post graduate, then a doctorate.... preferably somewhere abroad. A school drop out who didn't like to read or write, but had vision and courage is assumed to be not smart enough for school. But what do our schools teach? Exams mostly test your short term memory. Just how necessary is this for your job? People are not encouraged to innovate, follow their natural inclination and use their ingrained skills to excel in different fields.

And this may be the reason why we churn out so many highly qualified and smart graduates every year, who still expect to be told what to do in their jobs. Who think that it is 'not our's to reason why'.

Maybe Education ruined us after all..

Then there is the bank balance. How do you define success? Achieving what you wanted? Well, how about if you wanted peace of mind, and went about getting a great job, so that the money would give you security. You spend your life with stress and ulcers, surrounded by enemies and sycophants. You have the money, the cars, the houses.

But how successful are you in the end???? Can a millionaire be really called successful??? I guess that is a million dollar question :)

To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.

--- Ralph Waldo Emerson