Mozart was poor for most of his life. Fyodor Dostoyevsky, one of the greatest minds in literature struggled financially. Would we be quick to say that these two were failures? Where does production of works of Music and other arts that entertain and inspire millions feature on the failure - success continuum?
Do you consider the poor house help who cleans your house, cooks and takes care of your children a failure? What about the poor primary teacher trying to teach 40 students in a mabati shack in the slums? Is he a failure too?? Would the "successful" asian factory owner in industrial area consider the poor guys who camp at his gate every morning for work, failures?? And for all those financially prosperous individuals who have spectacular rags to riches stories inspired by poor mothers, fathers, uncles and friends along the way; Once they have become successful, can they then look back at their still poor mothers and friends as failures?? How many of you have gone to a bar and been throughly entertained by a poor drunk who cannot buy his own drink and once you bought the drinks you got funny stories to make you laugh for hours till your ribs ache. Is he a failure too?? The price of the entertainment may be a few beers but what is its value?? All the people who provide most of our conveniences from the cooks who make our food to the people who wash our clothes to the waiters who serve our drinks to the guys who shine our shoes to the people who bring our newspapers to the mkokoteni guys who transport our vegetables from Wakulima market to our neigbourhood stalls are poor? My question is, are they failures!!!??? You tell me.