Math - philosophy of life
Many people have tasted far reaching success. They know what works and what doesn't. They either have life figured out, or sincerely believe they do. They measure their lives by success and tend to neglect the other experiences of life. To me, knowledge is gained by having many experiences, which we get from the successes and failures alike. Life, without failure, is a life unlived. I learned that the hard way. I failed and it turned me around.
It all started with a D grade. I am naturally competitive and have a strong desire to be superior to others. My classmate and friend, Khatnaa, came to my rescue, and helped to change my failure into success. He is a very talented mathematician, possessing incredible analytical and logical skills, which he utilizes in every branch of the subject. Therefore, he acquires good grades all the time. He had a better grade than I had. However, I have always tried to challenge him beyond the syllabus and explain the ideas and methods that I have learned over the past few years, helping me to develop my ability to communicate mathematically to other people. I take great pleasure in attempting challenging, non-standard problems that require substantial amount of thought and ability. "Mathematics Olympiads" have provided me with a great number of demanding problems that I have enjoyed attempting.
Mathematics has been my academic passion ever since I entered high school. I am especially interested in understanding the language of mathematics, which is a high level of working in a modern world. Despite this, I got a D in mathematics, the class that means so much to me. I was miserable at my grade for a whole day. I didn't study, and I didn't know why I didn't. My unpreparedness was my downfall. I had two options at that point: (a) I could accept that I was a D student and fail; or (b) I could study hard for the next test, and improve my grade. Then I realized something very important: I could have gotten a better grade by pure luck, but I would learn nothing from it. The next time, I might not have been so lucky, and I would still end up with a D.
Subsequently, my failure in mathematics enraged everything inside of me. It was a feeling of extreme defeat that I had never felt before. This feeling motivated me to get a good grade. Then one day, Khatnaa told me, "No worries. I also, have failed before". At time, I understood that failing is the main ingredient to success. I chose to work harder. By getting a D, I learned the importance of studying. Understanding my mistakes wasn't simple, but it was worth it, as my grades drastically improved in the following examinations. The feeling of failure caused me to become more inquisitive about my studies and how I might improve my performance, allowing me to learn what others have experienced. I reached success beyond that of other good grades I used to get. I failed, and that fueled my desire to keep on working and eventually become a better mathematician than everybody else, including my friend Khatnaa.
Mathematics isn't just a class. It's a philosophy; it has taught me that when you fully immerse yourself in something, it pays off. The consequences of almost every move I made in life, has been affected by mathematics. I've learned that, to achieve my personal best, to reach unparalleled heights, to make the impossible possible, you can't fear failure, you must think big, and you must to push yourself to the limits. Primarily, I understood that failure doesn't mean you are a failure. It means you haven't succeeded yet.
