The Obstacle is the Point

Megan McArdle and others have explained why we learn more from failing (oversimplified, yes). It is a good message to teach, that failures are just a setback and resilience is better than talent. Sometimes we learn to try harder, or earlier, or smarter. Sometimes we learn that we have to find a partner with complementary skills. Sometimes we learn that we aren't a pro athlete, but we can make a career as a coach, a YouTuber, a trainer, a writer. I wonder if there could be an educational model that teaches children to pick a goal they are most likely going to fail at - a science project that they can try again next year, a history project that they have to look at differently next year.  It is sort of like the St. John's Great Books curriculum model, but aimed at younger students. The important thing is to not fear throwing things out.  This only partly worked.  Back on the horse.  

This does still carry a covert message of the important thing is to be king in the end, however, if we let it. When my sons were at a small Christian high school, there were a few years where there was great success in sports...followed by a few years of very few wins in any sport. At one of the parent meetings, there was discussion of how difficult this was to go through, but they were glad that their children had learned these lessons young. One parent was having none of it. He worked in a positive-attitude sales field and fired back "Why are we talking about the lessons learned from failure?  Why not teach them the lessons we can learn from victory? Our God is a god of victory!"* There was a Victory Christian School in the area, but we did not consider that for our children. I I think we learn from both Solomon and Job, myself. Many biblical characters had both sets of lessons. 

I don't think the lessons of failure leading to success is the Christian point. The obstacle is the point. God could accomplish these things we strive for almost accidentally with a word. This world is a school, not a factory. The learning does not lead to doing, the learning is the doing. 

The Second Law of Thermodynamics is our friend.  It is an implacable teacher. It may be why we live in this universe and not another. 

*My children and bsking's family might guess who this was.