The noise can be deafening. It surrounds us on a daily basis. Be it on social media or out in the real world (or some combination thereof), we are constantly exposed to how success is defined within our culture. It never seems to end; every grade, every performance, every opinion, every judgment reflects on your success - or so we are taught to believe. Even if you think you can avoid its grasp, much of our lives are spent having success defined for us - and rarely on our own terms.

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It started as a prize in a photo contest. The camera, an Olympus OM-10, was awarded to my father in a photography contest. I am sure he took thousands of photos over the years, so this particular photo is now just a distant memory at best. I do, however, remember the camera and how my father passed it down to me. Hold it like so, and cup it with one hand underneath so that your fingers don’t get in the way. Yes, just like that. Steady on the shutter button. Such simple things were the foundation for exploring the creative world inside me.

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Time and time again, day in and day out, we are faced with decisions based on value. For example, you’re out to buy a car. You’re examining issues such as performance, service cost, fuel efficiency, and the sticker price. Many wouldn’t hesitate to negotiate a price - based on the perceived value of the vehicle. That all makes good sense, yes? But then you require the services of a health care provider - and everything changes.

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Everything is the fault of social media anymore. That’s the perpetual refrain. Our political issues, our polarization, our diminishing self-esteem… you name it, social media has been blamed for it. I’ve heard it from the right, left, and center, regardless of gender and race. Easy scapegoat, isn’t it? Just blame social media. But in reality, social media didn’t fail us. We failed us.

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