<p>Prompt: "The old saying, "be careful what you wish for," may be an appropriate warning. The drive to achieve a particular goal can dangerously narrow one's perspective and encourage the fantasy that success in one endeavor will solve all of life's difficulties. In fact, success can sometimes have unexpected consequences. Those who propel themselves toward the achievement of one goal often find that their lives are worse once "success" is achieved than they were before."</p>
<p>Assignment: "Can success be disastrous?"</p>
<p>Essay: "Success can indeed have a detrimental effect on one's life. Many individuals, intensely driven to a certain goal, find that its attainment does not bring them the happiness they had hoped for. Obsessive devotion to a particular field too frequently comes at the expense of the rest of one's life.</p>
<p>One example of disastrous success can be found in the late chess savant Bobby Fischer. As a young child, Fischer began devoting himself to the game of chess. A prodigious talent, he became a top player in his age group by his teenage years, and soon became the world's #1 ranked player. However, these accomplishments in the world of chess took their toll. His few acquaintances remarked that Fischer was "consumed" by chess; at all hours, no matter what he was doing, his mind focused on chess. He became unable to carry out normal human relationships due to this singular obsession. In his later years, he lived as an enigmatic hermit, with few [if any] friends. He had by this point severed all relationships with his family. When he finally died, newspapers described the passing as that of an erratic, mysterious, and fascinating individual; one who achieved towering success in the chess world, but paid a heavy price for it.</p>
<p>Another example of the sometimes caustic nature of success can be found in former NFL player Earl Campbell. During his heyday, Campbell was feared throughout the league as one of the most powerful running back of his generation. He set many football records by adopting a tough, punishing style of running; opposing defenders found that Campbell could not only take hard hits and continue running, but deliver them as well. However, this bruising style of play hurt Campbell in the long run. Plagued by injuries from his many collisions, he was forced to cut short his football career. Today, he is unable to walk. The ferocious running that led him to gridiron greatness has left him unable to move about without a wheelchair; his enormous success has come with a heavy price indeed.</p>
<p>In conclusion, success does not always ensure one will have a good life. Many times the same patterns and behaviors that led to success in one endeavour can wreak havoc in another. Countless individuals have attained "success" only to find not more happiness, but less. Success is truly a double-edged sword.</p>