The things you learn on T-shirts

It seems we can be so profound on t-shirts, can't we, as a society?

People want to be either funny or profound or both and there it is, right on the front of their collarless, short-sleeved, 100% cotton shirt.

I saw one the other day that I agree was true. It said, boldly:

"Success is a choice"

And I think they're correct, whoever "they" were (the one wearing it).

But the flip side of that?

I contend that failure is not always even remotely a choice. Not at all.

I also think that to assume that is to assume ugliness on those who didn't "make it", who didn't "succeed."

Things go wrong for people It happens all the time.

Wrong choices, wrong turns, wrong assumptions. You can never know.

It could be the right thing but at the wrong time and there you are--a failure.

This is what's wrong in giving too much credit to people who have "succeeded", first of all. It's dangerous to give too much credit to the successful, for fear of building up one huge ego.

The danger of assuming bad things about the failed is that it dooms them to moral ugliness and that's grossly unfair.

Finally, it's important that "success" is absolutely not defined as having lots of money and/or things, objects, property and properties.

We either know this or should--that success isn't just about money--but it all too frequently gets lost or forgotten, especially here in materialistic heaven America.