Fail Better

‘Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.’ Wise words from Samuel Beckett, a hero of mine who also wrote ‘All poetry is prayer’ – a thought I have taken to heart, and a subject for another time.

We love in a culture which sets great store by success and yet the greatest learning comes from mistakes, from failure, even from pain. We can then improve, do better. This has also been expressed as ‘falling upward’ and Richard Rohr’s book with that title has some engaging insights, not least into the spiritual aspects of failure and growth.

I do not doubt any of this so why do I still beat myself up when I get something wrong, sing a wrong note, come in too soon, forget which key I’m playing in, make an ill-considered remark, generally fail to live up to my expectations? I know that I’m not alone in this, but it often feels that way – even though these failings pale into insignificance beside those of more powerful men who seem determined to fail their compatriots, their country, and the world. I think in particular of one, given a second term of office by some miracle, some general loss of sense and humanity on the part of a section of the American people, who seems determined to fail again and fail worse, dragging everyone else down with him.

Against this background I feel strangely positive about my own failures and those of the people around me. By and large we do learn from our mistakes, we do seek to fail better, and, whatever our disagreements about philosophy and approach, most of us do desire a better world, a better environment, less suffering, more peace. Here’s hoping these desires are met.

picking up
dusting down
somewhere a blackbird 




mistakes and failings
a chance to blossom