Failure is Not an Option

I was amazed that MIT has now institutionalized the option to fail. They note:

Many members of the science and technology community are inspired by the startup mantra “fail fast and fail often.” They aim to remain calm and resolute when their experiments go awry, startups dissolve, and problem sets occasionally go unfinished. When it comes to the lived experience of navigating setbacks, however, many end up failing at failing. They internalize the experience and treat failure as a reflection of their abilities, rather than an unavoidable part of life, necessary for personal growth.

Starting anything with the assumption that it may fail and failing is not only not bad but good is nonsense. I can think back when I tried out as a Lifeguard in NYC. I could swim but I was clearly not training nor did I rank in the top 400 in NYC, which was the requirement. In those days Catholic High Schools had basketball and track, some times. So my first test I did not pass. I did not fail, I learned what I had to do and the second time I passed. How? I had no pool, so I ran hills every night, snow, ice, rain, through parks for 10 miles. Thus I built up stamina to pass. Failure was not an option.

Praising failure seems to be the Millennial way to make an excuse. They continue:

When confronted with failure, it can be hard to know how to start again. Among the FAIL! Conference speakers, and those who organized the series, there was no one path forward. The only thing that was true for all of them was that they did start again...“It’s scary to fail,” ... acknowledges. “You’ll doubt your ability, your worthiness, and your intelligence in confronting it. But failure is no reason to stop trying. Reflect upon the mistakes you made and learn a lesson from them.”

Would I have hired any of these folks? Unlikely. You don't "fail". You find out why it did not work and you persevere. That is a positive quality. It is strange to see such values institutionalized. Oh, yes, they also want alumni to contribute to this concept. Pity.