I believe that it is safe to say that we have all experienced failure. Sometimes it's the first time that we tried something new. Sometimes it's doing something that we've done countless times. For most of us failure can be both humiliating and inspiring; depressing and invigorating. Tonight we will be discussing failure and what it means for us and to us both as individuals and as a society.
1. Is failure a necessary part of life? Of success? Why or why not?
2. Can the phrase "failure is not an option" ever be realistic? If so, when and why? If not, why not?
3. How do you define failure? Why?
4. Must failure involve disappointment? Why or why not?
5. Is it worse when YOU fail or when someone or something else fails YOU? Why?
6. Is it better or is it worse when failure is beyond your control? Why?
7. Is a lack of success the same thing as "failure"? Why or why not?
8. Is your sense of failure mitigated when someone else is involved?
How about when someone else's action (or inaction) causes your failure? Why or why not?
9. Can failure be enjoyable? Why or why not?
10. Thinking back on your past is it easier to recall the detail of your failures or your successes? Why?
11. Has failure ever propelled you into success?
12. Since everything can be considered to essentially start out as a failure (by dint of being incomplete) at what point do you consider something to have NOT failed? Why?
13. At what scale does the concept of failure no longer make sense? Why?
14. Can something be "too big to fail"? Why or why not?
15. A young Elvis was told that he should he had an "acceptable voice" but that he should "stick with his day job". What is it which prompts us not to accept failure?
16. Is there such a thing as an unrecoverable failure? Why or why not?
17. Thomas Edison is said to have claimed "we now know 1000 ways NOT to invent a lightbulb". At what point is failure ENOUGH failure? Why?
18. Should we do away with "participation awards" for children? Why or why not?
19. Do you ever watch "fail" videos? Why or why not?
20. How do you recover from failure?
* BONUS QUESTIONS *
21. Are "knowing when to quit" and "accepting failure" the same thing? Why or why not?
22. Can you "fail your way to success"? Why or why not?
23. Why do societies fail?
24. Who do you feel most hurt by when they fail you? Family? Friends? Government? Why?
25. Was the Canadian Government's COVID strategy a success or a failure? How about the BC Government? Why?
26. Can Nature fail us? Why or why not?
27. Can death be considered a failure? Why or why not?
I hope that you will join us for this discussion.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Given the success of this format we are going to be continuing to gather via Zoom.
We will be allowing up to 30 participants for this meeting and, after a brief introduction, we will be splitting off into virtual "tables" of six.
As long as you have RSVP'd before 5:30PM on the day of the event you should receive an email from Robert or Josh prior to 6:30PM giving you the Zoom meetup credentials.
*** PLEASE NOTE ***
If you are a member of Table Conversations and you didn't receive an email announcing THIS Table Conversations meetup then you likely won't receive the email with the Zoom information on the evening of the event. Please confirm that your Meetup.com profile is configured correctly by carefully following the step-by-step instructions in this link: https://www.meetup.com/tableconversations/events/270360456/
Otherwise, since I don't control Meetup's mail system, if you are not receiving notifications please contact Meetup.com for assistance.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
* Room opens at 6:45PM (often earlier) for socialization
* Discussion starts at 7:15 and finishes at 8:45ish
* Keep talking until dawn!
