Shadows of Success
A man's journey through this world
There was once a man. A bright, ambitious young lad. He attended the best university, since after all, that was what he was meant to do. From a young age the man had an interest in art, but everyone knew that art cannot become a career. So alas the man chose to study law, a worthy career path.
The man’s friends wouldn’t describe him as a happy man. Yes, he was successful, but happiness leads becoming content, a cost which he could not afford. So the man kept working hard. He got into the best law school and eventually got a job at the best law firm. He was momentarily happy, but realized there was still so much to accomplish.
The man continued to climb the ranks of his profession. Not only that, but he became friendly with very wealthy, successful people. In fact he even married a famous actress who everyone loved. He occasionally found himself glimpsing happiness, but he quickly swept that aside to continue achieving more. The man never allowed himself to reflect on his true life desires, whether he knew it or not, for fear of losing his empire which he worked so meticulously to build in exchange for that quiet yearning for intrinsic pleasures that once captivated him.
One day, on his way to work, the man caught a glimpse of a lowly man sitting, seemingly in meditation, on an old park bench. Normally the man would walk on by, but something caught his eye that he could not resist. It was a sign in front of the lowly man with the simple question: how much is enough?
The man contemplated the question, and before he realized it his legs has brought him face to face with the lowly man. The man blurts out his question: “how much is enough for what?”. The lowly man slowly raises his head, his eyes meeting the man’s in a piercing gaze which felt to the man as if the lowly man was staring straight into his soul. Without answering the question the lowly man asks “have you found happiness in life?”.
The man, thrown off by the new question, reflexively responds “of course I’m happy. Look at all that I have compared to you. I am very successful. But I cannot let that happiness take over since then I lose what I have built. I will lose my drive and become content.”
The lowly man, hearing the silent desperation in the man’s answer, merely asked another question of the man: “who is controlling your life?”.
The man, shocked by the audacity of this lowly man to seemingly accuse so harshly yet simultaneously finding himself drawn to the conversation unlike he has been drawn to one before, responds saying “I am! Of course it’s me that’s controlling my life. I have been doing everything myself to reach where I am today and will keep doing that until I die. My life is my own!”
The lowly man ponders for moment, processing the words of the man. After a minute of silent contemplation shares a quote:
He climbed the ladder of success, only to find that it leaned against the wrong wall. Obsessed with the horizon which others pointed to, he missed the beauty beneath his feat.
The man, quite confused by the meaning of this story, for the first time in a long time, began to reflect on his own life. On his own ladder that he was climbing. Lost in thought, when the man returned to reality to ask the lowly man what he meant by these words, it appeared that the lowly man has left without a trace.
The man, without anyone to talk to anymore, continued his way to work, with the interaction with the lowly man growing fainter and fainter each moment that passed.
Several years later, life's unpredictable nature took its toll on the man. A routine checkup revealed a brain tumor. The diagnosis was bleak, leaving him with a mere six months to ponder the life he had lived.
Hospitalized, the man found himself enveloped in solitude, a stark contrast to his previously bustling life. His family and a few friends made occasional visits, but it was in the quiet moments alone that his true introspection began.
He reflected on his relentless pursuit of success, a race from one achievement to the next, each step validated by societal standards yet void of personal fulfillment. He saw the futility in his relentless chase for external accolades, which, in the face of his mortality, seemed to dissolve into insignificance.
Initially, these realizations plunged him into a deep melancholy. He mourned not only for his impending fate but for the years spent chasing shadows of fulfillment. However, as time passed, a subtle shift occurred. The man began to view his situation not as a tragic end but as a profound awakening.
It was then that his encounter with the lowly man returned. He thought about the words the lowly man told him, words which he finally began to understand their true meaning. A faint smile crept across his face, not out of regret, but in understanding and acceptance. In the twilight of his days, he found a peace that had eluded him through all his life.
As he drew his final breath, a serene smile filled his face, leaving the world not in sorrow, but cradled in an embrace of genuine fulfillment and peace.
Thanks so much for reading until the end! I hope you enjoyed my first piece of fiction writing. Please feel free to comment with any thoughts or constructive criticism so I can improve in the future.
"In the twilight of his days, he found a peace that had eluded him through all his life."
I loved the way that your story guided me in contemplating death. It reminds me of the emotions fighting inside of myself to feel valuable versus understanding that a life well lived is the goal.