Ethics of success and praise of waste: paradoxes or trends in today's search for meaning?

The obsessive pursuit of success is among the worst forms of ethical poverty because, by losing sight of the true meaning of existence, it enslaves individuals to being what others want them to be. Moreover, it discourages them from tuning into their true needs and desires, rendering them incapable of accepting their own and others’ vulnerabilities. Trapped within the logics of efficiency and the market, adults are educating adolescents and young people in the art of “consuming life”, contributing to making them intolerant of any form of frustration and incapable of accepting a result that is anything less than excellent. In an era where individualism and consumerism often dominate personal choices and aspirations, it is necessary to promote an ethic that goes beyond the mere pursuit of success, measured solely in terms of material results, money, visibility, and “power”. In this sense, the praise of waste is a serious axiological and educational proposal that aims, first and foremost, to reconsider the values, priorities, and socio-educational goals imposed by Western societies. Consequently, it seeks to valorize alternative experiences that do not conform to the logic of being “first at any cost”, experiences often ignored and marginalized by efficiency-oriented and hyper-technologized societies.