The Twin Sisters

The Year of Change – a time of transformation had arrived. It was in this fateful period that the twins were born. To Mother Destiny, the birth of her daughters was a moment of deliverance, for she had waited eons to be granted the boon of motherhood. Father Time, though sharing her joy, was quietly uneasy. He contemplated the meaning of this birth, for it was said that in the Year of Change, the world is gifted both a beacon of hope and a shadow of foreboding. None could predict whether the change would bring fortune or ruin, only that its ripples would shape the course of time itself.

As he gazed upon his newborn daughters—identical in every outward sense—Father Time’s heart wavered. He worried about the fate destined for them both. Mother Destiny, however, remained unmoved. To her, fate was neither a puzzle to be solved nor a path to be altered. It simply was. And so, with a voice as steady as the turning cosmos, she bestowed upon them names as immutable as the forces they embodied—Success and Failure. In that moment, it became clear that these daughters would shape the course of humanity in ways none could yet comprehend.

As the twins grew, their stark differences became apparent. Though alike in form, they could not have been more different in spirit. The elder twin—Lady Success—was a force of nature, radiant and unshaken. She moved through the world with effortless grace, bold and unapologetic, basking in the warmth of admiration. Wherever she went, eyes followed, applause trailed her like an eager servant, and triumph clung to her like a birthright. Her presence filled people with unshakable confidence, lifting them to heights they had never dared to reach. Yet, with her gifts came an insatiable thirst—for admiration, for validation, for the illusion of permanence. Those who knew her became restless, convinced of their own greatness. A quiet arrogance crept into their hearts, a belief that they were chosen simply by standing in her light.

But Success was never meant to linger. She was fleeting by nature, slipping away just when her admirers thought they had claimed her. And so, they would wait—longing, striving, chasing—because nothing in the world was as intoxicating as success.

Where Success left behind longing, her younger sister, Lady Failure, arrived. A soul kinder than the world could ever understand, she was destined to be misjudged. Her name was to be spoken in whispers and her presence to be unwelcome. No one sought her company, for she carried a fate worse than the bitterest enemy. Wherever she went, she broke men, stripping them of pride and certainty, casting them into voids filled with regret—for one more chance, one different choice, one step that could have led them to her sister instead. Yet, it was Failure who gifted humanity the wisdom of reflection, redemption, and reckoning. Her role was one of utmost difficulty, but she bore it without sorrow. She harboured no resentment, for she loved her sister dearly. She had made peace with her place in the cosmos, even as she faced ridicule.

While her sister basked in the sunlight of applause, Failure lingered in the shadows, unseen but never absent. And unlike Success, she did not demand admiration or devotion. She did not need to be chased, nor did she seek to flee. Instead, she waited—quiet and patient—for the broken to mend themselves. She watched them grow wiser, stronger, humbler. And when the time was right, she stepped aside, allowing Success to return once more.

But while Failure loved her sister unconditionally, Success could not bear the sight of her. To her, Failure was weak, despicable, unworthy of existence. Success raged at the very thought of sharing her celestial lineage with one so lowly. She left no stone unturned in reminding her sister of her supposed insignificance.

And so it happened that one evening, as the family sat together, Success coyly remarked, “Mother, I bring so much joy to the lives of men every day. Surely, I am the most important force for the good of humanity. Don’t you agree?”

Mother Destiny, ever wise, understood the intent behind her daughter’s words. She replied, “You are mistaken, my dear child. It is your sister who is truly the guiding light of humanity.”

Success was stunned. She could not fathom how her mother could favour the very being she despised. Turning to Father Time, she pleaded, “Father, do you not disagree with Mother?”

Father Time, always solemn and measured, replied, “Child, your mother speaks the truth. You may bring progress to those you touch, but without your sister, humanity would never understand the meaning of life itself. It is through her that men contemplate the folly of their actions and take one step closer to the Divine.”

Success was speechless. For the first time, she felt something she had never known before—a doubt, a crack in her unwavering confidence. And as she sat in silence, the truth settled upon her like the weight of eternity: Success may be the spark that ignites ambition, but it is Failure that forges the soul.

Time passed, but this truth filled Success with bitterness. She felt betrayed by the very being she despised most—her sister, Failure. In her envy, Success devised a plan to erase Failure’s identity, believing that by doing so, she could rob her of her significance and ensure her own dominance. And so one morning, when Failure went to bathe in the River of Life, Success decided to take the only thing that distinguished them—her sister’s clothes. She exchanged them with her own, believing that without her signature attire, no one would recognize Failure, and thus, her sister’s role would be forgotten over time. In her envy, Success thought that this could make her the real driving factor of humanity – but she had failed to understand that one can change identities, but not one’s written destiny. In this haste to erase the distinction, Success unwittingly opened a pandora’s box that would change the course of humanity forever. By stripping Failure of her identity, she blurred the once-clear lines between what it meant to succeed and what it meant to fail. Now, humanity found itself lost in a fog of confusion, unable to discern whether their actions were truly fruitful or hollow.

People intoxicated by the allure of Success, found themselves chasing achievements that promised fulfilment but left only emptiness in their wake. These victories, though grand in appearance, were fleeting and unsatisfying. What was once hailed as progress now felt like an illusion, as if they were running towards a mirage that disappeared the moment they reached it. With every new accomplishment, they grew more restless, as though they were forever on the edge of something greater, but never truly arriving. The applause they once sought now echoed in their minds as an empty echo, unable to quench their insatiable thirst for something more. Success, in her dazzling light, had promised them happiness, but delivered only disillusionment.

On the other hand, those who encountered Failure found themselves standing at the precipice of despair. Stripped of the understanding that Failure was not an end, but a stepping stone, they became trapped in a cycle of self-doubt and regret. Instead of reflecting and learning from their setbacks, they allowed the failure to define their worth. Failure, once a teacher, had become a symbol of defeat, something to be avoided at all costs. The lessons that could have been gleaned from missteps was now lost in the noise of self-pity and hopelessness. People who failed now failed to see the beauty in the process of growth. They were not broken by failure, but by their inability to rise from it.

In this world, success and failure no longer served their intended purposes. They had become indistinguishable, like two sides of the same coin, both equally hollow. The pursuit of success no longer led to fulfilment, while the experience of failure no longer led to growth. Humanity had become trapped in a paradox, unable to see the light of wisdom that could arise from either.

And so, we now live in an age where the distinction between success and failure is blurred beyond recognition. People celebrate achievements that should bring joy but find themselves empty, hollow in the very success they so desperately sought. They struggle to find meaning in their victories, forever chasing a sense of purpose that slips further out of reach.

Simultaneously, others, who have encountered failure, find themselves adrift, paralyzed by self-doubt and regret, unable to reflect on their mistakes and glean wisdom from them. In this strange era, both success and failure have become distorted, and humanity has lost its way in understanding their true value.

Perhaps, in the end, only Father Time can truly recognise which daughter stands before us. Time alone can allow us to see through the illusions we cling to and discern the deeper truth behind every action. What we must learn is to approach life with equanimity—giving our best in each moment, without attachment to the outcome. Time, with its patient wisdom, will reveal that the true measure of success is not in the accolades we accumulate, but in the lessons we learn along the way. Likewise, failure is not something to dread, but a powerful force that molds us, helping us grow into the person we are meant to be. So give it time, and what you seek shall come to you.