Success, or more precisely, the narrative by which popular culture defines it is a funny thing. In the eyes of the world, markers of success include having far more money than you or your family actually need (assuming you’ve even bothered to have a family), being adored by strangers, and being able to flout conventional morality as you please.
Those who most closely fit the above criteria, celebrities, seem to have miserable personal lives. Whether it’s Johnny Depp or Elon Musk, material wealth doesn’t seem to have spared them immense psychological suffering and in fact, fame appears to cause much of it. I used to think celebrities were just showing off by having personal shoppers and hanging out in exclusive, high-end places, until I understood that they pretty much have to do those things to have any peace whatsoever. Once you reach a certain level of notoriety, trying to live like a regular person becomes both nearly impossible, and a safety risk. Imagine not being able to walk through a grocery store alone, because any stranger you meet may demand something from you, or just have a manic freak-out in your presence. Is that success?
We also have an ever-growing list of deeply influential celebrities who’ve been revealed as debauched deviants, completely absent of moral principles, who use their status to coerce others into legitimately disturbing situations. Is that success?
In my view, success can be defined as existing in productive and reciprocal relationship with your community. You improve the lives of those around you, and they do the same in return. All else is bullshit.