The Loser Paradox

You’ve been trying to achieve your goals. You’ve done everything you could, yet you still failed. You are a loser. At least, that’s the idea of a loser with which I grew up. If you don’t reach a goal that you have set for yourself, you lose. In other words, you are a loser.   It’s a simple notion of ‘Loser’ with which we can work and live. Still, this idea of a loser comes with a paradox of its own, which I like to call “The Loser Paradox.” If you don’t intuit what this paradox is all about, let’s go see a clear example of what it entails.   Johny, the Boy Who Didn’t Manage to Fail   When he was a schoolboy, Johny was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up. His answer was plain, simple, yet confusing. He said that he wanted to become a loser.   Why did he want that? Johny had an intuition about the idea of a loser. He understood from a young age that a loser’s life entails few responsibilities. So, Johny dreamed of a life free of responsibilities and other adult duties.   The years have passed, and Johny joined an elite high school. He, of course, didn’t want to do that. His dream was to become a total loser. His dream wasn’t turning into reality. A good high school meant bigger chances in life.   After another four years, Johny, following his parents’ advice, went to study engineering at one of the best universities. Again, not a smart move for a boy whose goal in life was to become a total loser. His college years brought lots of responsibilities. Johny, although he tried to avoid responsibilities, was a responsible young man. The result? He graduated from his university with a decent score. Johny was failing to see his dream come true: he was failing to become a loser.   Not only was Johny an engineering graduate now, but he also landed a job at one of the best construction companies in the city. He was promised a substantial salary, one that would permit him to buy a home and start a family. Johny was doing well in life, but he was clearly failing at becoming a loser.   At the advice of his family and friends, Johny took the job, bought a house, and found a girl to marry. Now, after five years of working for this construction company, Johny had a large house, a great wife, two small children, and enough money to not care about what others think of him. Johny was a success, or was he not?   The Loser Paradox   You see, ever since he was a small child, Johny dreamed of becoming a complete loser. He wanted to fail at everything that he did. However, that was not the case. That was not Johny’s story. He didn’t fail academically. He didn’t fail professionally. He didn’t fail romantically. He was a success because he achieved goals.   However, his grand goal was to become a loser. He, of course, failed it miserably at becoming that. He was a loser at being a loser. So, he wasn’t a winner. Why? He wasn’t a winner because he failed to reach his goal of becoming a loser. If he had lost a lot in life, he would have actually won. He would have been a winner by becoming a loser. Is it paradoxical or not?   This is what I call the Loser Paradox.