Editor,

According to Robert Bake, it’s true that success isn’t an accident but there is need for people to understand the nature of the universe – we live in the world of opposites where life becomes easy when you make it hard. 

What exactly do we mean by success? Does success mean only being educated? Who is a successful person, any way?

To answer the questions will help us get to know and avoid fallacious arguments. To me, success is something within us individually. In other words, it is the unwrapping of the wrapped.

To be successful does not mean to be rich or more educated, but success goes with happiness, and real happiness is through reason and contemplation.

Success is to achieve the necessity in a more moral and rational way. The meaning and definition of success will determine who a successful person is. Success involves a forethought and had never been accidental as Bake put it. We need not to waste time but rather be informed, speak out and be courageous. 

David Nkusi, NyanzaRwanda

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Thanks Robert. Like David Nkusi put it, success is relative. To me, having money should never be interpreted as being successful in life, neither should happiness be construed as success.

Actually one of the biggest social challenges today is how to deal with criminals who have access to huge amounts of money. A gangster will derive his happiness from killing a member of a rival gang. So having money and being happy can only be called success, depending on who says it.

A sadist will be happy when he kills, or sees a rival suffering. Product marketing tends to fall in the category of sadism. Can sadism be called success? My own definition of success would be "righteously receiving and righteously giving”. Anything out of that would not be success. But Robert Bake’s argument is tending to my own definition. 

Robert Kiyosaki, the Rich Dad Poor Dad author, shows in his book "Cashflow Quadrant” that it’s not by working hard that you will be successful, because his hardworking biological father was actually his poor dad. 

It’s the smart choices we make that will make us financially independent so that we can "righteously earn and righteously give”. Dear Robert Bake, we are together in the struggle. God bless you.

James Munanura, Makerere UniverisityKampala, Uganda

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For me, and probably for many folks out there, there are many factors to decide your being rich or poor in life and you are one of them. These factors are:

1. Family background: If your family is rich and you have a good upbringing, you are already rich and the opposite is true that if you are born in a poor family, you will need to work too hard to pull yourself up.

2. Education level: The more educated you are the higher the chances of landing a good job.

3. Self management: This is what Rober Bake was talking about. Working hard and not wasting – I mean making sure you save more than you spend every month.

4. Good health: Having it and working hard to maintain good health.

5. Political stability: You must be living in a country that is politically stable and has good security and no corruption.

6. God must be on your side: If not, you can have millions and lose it all in one day. 

7. Vision: You must have a good vision and be decisive, a risk-taker and many other qualities like communication skills, social skills etc.

In conclusion, not everyone can be rich or successful as the writer put it, just by implementing his advice.

Justin Rwema, KigaliRwanda

Reactions to Robert Bake Tumuhaise’s commentary, "Success is not an accident”, (The Sunday Times, June 2)