Disastrous success prompt Essay

Success does not last forever and problems still arise even after achieving it. Unfortunately, it is a common misapprehension that achieving success will solve every difficulty in life, which is why many strive to achieve it. Success is only a brief moment where one has reached his or her goals in life through hard work and perseverance. There is no guarantee that no problems will exist in one’s life after attaining success. In fact, success could also lead to a disaster and detrimental consequences. Some events that took place during World War II are perfect examples of the above. The misunderstanding of many is that achieving success is the resolution to every problem. Regrettably, if that was the case, we would live in a perfect world. The old saying, â€Å"be careful what you wish for† could apply here as a disclaimer to succeeding because it very well could be disastrous. Adolf Hitler would be a perfect example of disastrous success. Before World War II, he drove the Nazi Party to its pinnacle during the Great Depression in Germany. He promised Germans to regain all the land lost in World War I, to purify the German race and eradicate all Jews, and to bring Germany out of the depression. His success in the country proved to be extremely catastrophic for the Jews. During the war, Hitler ordered the extermination of the Jewish race. By the end of the war he had massacred 11,000,000 people. His success was the tragedy, suffering, and death of numerous Jews. Also, when he lost the war and was captured and died, it led Germany to another period of anarchy and another change in government. Another example that would relate to ruinous success, also from World War II, would be from the end of the war when Germany had surrendered to US forces but Japan would not. To get Japan to surrender, a group a scientists used Albert Einstein’s theories to create the first ever atomic bomb. The scientists knew the damaging effects of the bomb’s success but still allowed its use on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to get Japan to surrender. Even though the bomb was effective and allowed the US and allied forces to win the war, it massacred countless lives and devastated two major cities. Unfortunately, the creation of the atomic bomb led to the Cold War, the Nuclear Arms Race, and the creation of numerous nuclear weapons. Even though the bomb was successful in its immediate purpose, it became a leeway to the invention of many other deadly weapons. All in all, success can become very disastrous even though many perceive it as a positive event in life. Hitler’s reign on Germany and the invention of the atomic bomb both demonstrate the devastating effects of success. It can either be help or hindrance in life. Therefore, one must be mindful of the long lasting negative consequences of one’s success.