One step further, another step down.

Everything fails. 'Failure' however, is a matter of definition. What we process as a failure will that be - so then by its negative, what we process as a 'wining' will thus be. But winning and losing are not in question lest we allow that to be how we desire processing our experience.

I've said it before and need to be reminded constantly, it is the experience, not the processing of the experience which must concern us. This is delicate because it is so easy; for many however, myself often included, this is what makes it hard. It does not matter win or fail, gain or loss, those are subjective terms when processing the experience of life as a whole.

I could say "I have lost this opportunity" or what many current self-help pundits say, "This loss is just as easily seen as a win" i.e.'not that opportunity' becomes processed as an opportunity for something else in and of itself.

But this is still a trapping, cynically we can say it is 'lying' to oneself or being 'foolhardy' - but if we can say that, then we can also say the opposite, calling 'failure' 'being honest with oneself' or being 'realistic' as much of a trap. Further, our definition of a 'failed' relationship or a 'successful' relationship may have overlap but still be unique. From the outside in a parent says, 'you dodged a bullet' - yet from the inside out one says, 'I have lost the other side of my heart'. Both are discussing their processing of the same event. This processing obviously then affects their 'realities'.

Reality is beyond our words. This is the age old argument between Plato and Aristotle. Form vs. Form commingled with matter - and to both these men I simply add a footnote; a raising of my hand in the class and hope that I am called on to offer my idea and get their collective response.

Words, the currency of our communication, account for a very small part of our communication. Fifty percent is body language, forty three percent is our tone, and seven percent is the words we use - of which three percent are actually taken in by the listener.

So to begin to try and process the experience of life with our words, we are already short changed. This whole idea of objectively looking upon one's experience is based on judging ones experience, and the currency with which to do thusly is worthless. If I may be so bold, the judges themselves are worthless as well. They, we, have no idea to see the whole, we can only judge the parts. The cosmic joke is that if we judge each part as a failure, thus it will be, and further if we judge each part as a win, thus it will be - but the activity of judging, itself creates a disconnect in the experience. Judging then becomes the only way we experience - so to say, we lose the experience - and so reality - all together.

I postulate then, that the answer as previously stated, is a lack of judgement and so a lack of processing the experience. Taking ones life off of trial and letting it be free. It is then I believe we must find joy greater than any pleasure or stress we may glean from an accurate or inaccurate judgement.

To reduce this down even further for the love of brevity and wit and charm - if we remove the question all together, we will never have to be worried about what the answer is.

And a final reduction as mentioned in my earlier posts which we must say as a chant unto ourselves, etched in our minds as deep as the wrinkles of the brain itself, "I am and all is"