Is it possible to build a society in which all people are successful?

Yes, but only if we define success differently. Here is what a noted teacher has to say about this vital cornerstone of a happier, healthier world.

We must define success not in terms of competition–where for one to succeed, another must fail–but in nonviolent terms, wherein success means universal growth, health, and maturity.

In our society, competition gets better press than cooperation. Why this happens to be, I do not know. Society is actually based on cooperation to a greater extent than on competition.

With the vast mental ability that we collectively possess, can we not develop a definition of success that will encourage each person to develop to the fullest of his or her capacity? The more people who become successful in this nonexploitative way, the more successful will be the society we live in, improving the quality of life for all of us.

Even in our highly competitive society, children absorbed in creation seem oblivious to their surroundings. Only after they have finished do they look about to see what others have done. Alas, that’s when they so often begin to feel judgmental and self-conscious.

A number of year ago I took a traveling museum of Eskimo culture to Eskimo villages on the coast of the Bering Sea, with the purpose of giving the villagers a chance to see some of the beautiful examples of their culture that were hidden from them in museums. To enable Eskimo children to get into closer contact with the art of their people, we let each one choose a slide of an Eskimo print and project this onto a sheet of paper. They paired up to trace their images with felt-tipped pens, then laid the paper on the floor to color it. How delightful to see the beauty of their collaborations and the loveliness of the cooperative art the children produced.

If we are to design a world without violence and prejudice, we must develop ways to help people become more confident, aware and secure.