Last week, my granddaughter started kindergarten, and I wished her success. I was lying. What I actually wish for her is failure. I belive in the power of failure.
Success is boring. Success is proving that you can do something that you already know you can do, or doing something correctly the first time, which can often be an uncertain victory. First-time success is usually a piece of luck. First-time failure, by contrast, is expected. It is the natural order of things.
Failure is how we learn. I have been told of an African phrase describing a good cook as she who has broken many pots. If you've spent enough time in the kitchen to have broken a lot of pots, probably you know a lot about cooking. I once had a dinner witha group of chefs, and they spent time comparing knife wounds and burn scars. They knew how much certainty their failures gave them.
I earn my living by writing a daily newspaper column. Each week I am aware that one column is going to be the worst column. I don't set out to write it. I try my best every day and I have learned to cherish that column. Often in my columns of poor quality,I am trying to get through something I've never done before, something I'm not even sure can be done.
My younger daughter is a trapeze artist (荡秋千演员). She spent three years putting together an act. She did it successfully for years. There was no reason for her to change the act, but she did anyway. She said she was no longer learning anything new and she was bored.
So she changed the act. She risked failure and public embarrassment in order to feed her soul. My granddaughter is a perfectionist. She will feel her failures. I hope I can tell her, though, that it isn't the end of the world. Indeed, with luck, it is the beginning.
(2) What does the writer want to express by giving the experience of different people? (No more than 15 words)
(5) Do you agree with the last two sentences" I hope I can tell her, though, that it isn't the end of the world. Indeed, with luck, it is the beginning."? Why or Why not? (No more than 25 words)