In the beginning, one of the things that made the U.S. different from other nations - what made us exceptional - was a relatively mild social stigma attached to failure. Perhaps because it happened so often. Marching off into the wilderness, into the unknown, often took a curious combination of courage and desperation. We, as Americans, became famous for taking risks. Failure is the inherent danger of taking risks. But it was worth doing, not only because of the great rewards for success, but because the very act of taking a risk symbolized many things that we as a people venerated. Faith in ourselves. Faith in each other. Hope.
For example, one could start a business, and have it fail, and still be free to try again. In most other countries, the same failure would have meant years in a debtors prison.
Or perhaps one made a mistake and committed a crime. He would have gone to prison, just like anywhere else. But afterwards - provided he learned his lesson, and wanted to change his life - he was free to do so.
Those days are long over. There are a number of reasons for this. One is the economics of supply and demand.
In the days of sailing ships, if one of the crew were found guilty of some transgression, the punishment was usually swift and severe. But it rarely resulted in death. Once his forty lashes or whatever were done with, he was once again a part of the crew. Why? A ship required men to sail it, and killing an able bodied seaman, with no one to replace him, put everyone else at risk.
There are more of us now. We're a dime a dozen. There are so many, in fact, that even the best and brightest of us are considered expendable.
Another reason is a lack of anonymity (or even basic privacy). Technology like the internet, while allowing me to state my opinion, also makes every detail of our lives available to everyone else, many of whom are all too willing to use that information against us.
Which brings me to the last reason. As a nation and a people, we've become less tolerant of change, and of difference. In a society where almost every human endeavor carries with it some sort of zero-tolerance policy, failure is not an option. Nothing is forgotten, nothing forgiven. The problem is that mistakes are often the best teacher. Trial and error is one of the ways we learn.
No more. Make a mistake, or try and fail, and you're damaged goods. There are no second chances and no way to re-invent yourself. Step out of line, just a little, and some actuary crunches the numbers, and the whole of your existence ends up as an entry in some database. People don't want specifics, they don't want details. They don't have the time. It isn't cost-efficient, or expedient. The result is a net loss of wisdom, of potential.
Eventually, the consequences of failure will be so great, that people will cease taking risks altogether. Ayn Rand's twisted vision will become reality. Survival of the fittest. With what is fit, being narrowly and arbitrarily defined by the 1% (who, by the way, are free to make - and repeat - all the mistake they want).
At best, it's a recipe for mediocrity. At worst, extinction.
