NASA sends astronauts to the Moon. They get halfway there and have to turn
around and come back. Was the mission a success?

A lumberjack starts felling a large tree. He cuts halfway through the trunk
and his chainsaw quits on him and he can't get it started again. Did he
successfully cut the tree down?

A man decides to climb to the summit of Mt. Everest. He gets halfway up and
decides he wants to stay and run a base camp. Did he summit Everest?

A football team sets out to win the Superbowl. They make it to the play-offs
but get defeated in the wild card round. Did they succeed?

A surgeon performs a heart replacement operation. He removes the patient's
heart and starts to insert the donor heart. He decides he doesn't want to do
it any more and leaves the building. Was the operation a success. Is he a
successful surgeon?

A guy named Bruce sets out to circumnavigate the world. He gets as far as
Bangkok where he's been languishing for thirty some odd years now. Is he a
successful circumnavigator? Is he a sailor who attained his goals?


The obvious answer to all the above is NO! Every instance represents
failure.


Wilbur Hubbard