15/01/2026
Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it’s courage to continue that counts
OP-ED, VIEWS BEYOND NEWS
Doda, Jan. 15, 2026
Yesterday, a class 12th student died by su***de in Doda district of the Union Territory of J&K after failing in 1 subject. The incident is tragic & has ignited debate over, supposed to be, family, peer & societal pressure on students after results are declared. And an argument is being floated that we must stop appreciating the achievements of the achievers especially on social media platforms. Argument being given is that as we keep appreciating & sharing success stories, those who lagged behind or failed get dejected, distressed & depressed. I just want to dismiss this argument as false & far from practicality.
My argument is this…..why should we not appreciate & celebrate the achievements of those who burnt midnight oil to excel & achieve? And why should those who didn’t work hard or achieved less owing to any or many unavoidable circumstances, feel envy for those who achieved or get depressed for not doing what was in their own hands? Rather than feeling envy or feeling low, they should retrospect on what went wrong & why, & what could be the best way to avoid that. And most importantly, why on earth the achievers should feel less appreciated for the only fact that their appreciation/enjoyment may give the feeling of being inferior to the ones who failed to achieve what was expected of them or what they themselves expected, why? I mean how can this be justified?
Let them own their failures, recalibrate themselves & prove their worth to the world at the very next opportunity rather than feeling down or thinking of taking the extreme steps. Let the parents, peer, relatives & society teach them the right way to achieve things & be strong mentally. Let their parents, mentors & teachers teach them how to face adversity & still be strong enough to not give a damn to negativity, let positivity overcome the negativity. And finally, let’s not forget or not be in oblivion that achieving higher marks in an academic exam proves or disproves of one’s capabilities, & this needs to be understood by all the stakeholders, be it students, parents, teachers, peer groups or society in general.
Having said the above, let me reiterate, let’s not intermix & misinterpret things. Let’s enjoy & celebrate with the achievers & guide, encourage & not demean the less fortunate ones, the failed ones! Let me end my arguments with famous British Statesman, Military Officer, Writer & former Prime Minister of United Kingdom Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill’s famous quote, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it’s courage to continue that counts”
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