The Old Man and the Sea

What is failure? Maybe it is merely the result of a weak mind, a lack of determination, the absence of the will to succeed...
True failure occurs when obstacles stop progress. But obstacles need not do that. Each could also be seen as an opportunity for alternatives, a chance to open the mind to unchartered grounds. Failure may just be a mental condition. A person cannot fail if the mind has not given up. In the end, it is the strength of the mind that determines success.
Hemingway's "Old man and the sea" illustrates that beautifully. The old fisherman, Santiago, battled an 18 foot marlin against many obstacles. He won the battle against the 18 foot marlin when he finally caught it. However, he lost the battle against the sharks who attacked him and his marlin. Although he managed to slay seven sharks, he could not keep the marlin intact. The sharks had devoured its carcass, leaving behind an 18 foot skeleton that Santiago took home. He had won the battle against his physical self when he wearily reached his home at the end of the book. It did not matter that he failed to bring home any catch to sell. Santiago had won the battle against himself! Have you?

Sometimes, Let the tears flow.

I used to be known as a cry baby in my primary school days. I was very afraid of the teachers. Each time a teacher called my name, my first reaction was to cry. I was sure the teacher was going to punish me for some homework not done (Yes, there was a time when I don't hand in homework) . I have no recollections of what had transpired. I lived with that label for practically the whole of my primary school days. May be that's why I have little recollections of my childhood school days. Children can be really cruel, innocently.
Later in my life, I learnt (unorthodoxly from Chinese Kungfu novels) that 男儿有泪不轻弹， 只是未到伤心处。A man's tears is reserved for heartwrenching moments. This knowledge did not make it easier to cry. There are times when you need to cry but you don't want to. That's when there is pain. The pain seeks to rip you apart. The battle begins. You control your tears, you try to breathe, you suffocate, you are in pain, you don't want to give in, you refuse to submit! You tell youself that there is no fate! You swear! Then, when you are hopelessly surrounded, you issued a challenge! Come on, give me your best shot! ........Then you shiver and you sob and you cry out hysterically and your tears start to flow. You have lost this battle. You move on. The experience is very painful. I don't like to cry but crying does have a healing effect. I must move on. I move on. Life can be really cruel, coincidentally.