Monopoly is the devil. As a sore and frequent loser to my family's "game night" favorite, I have lost both my self-esteem and pride for the sake of family bonding. The dream of finding success in colored cash and a dirty shoe figurine has to be better than the embarrassment of being 1,623 dollars in debt to a twelve-year-old bank teller. This logic is the sole reason I continue to play every week. Like the old and dirty shoe, which I coincidentally receive as a game piece every time we play, I long for enough money to have another pair, along with three additional properties and first place bragging rights. Although I have yet to win a game of Monopoly, this quest to triumph has left competitive rifts between my sisters and me that has translated to sly comments and mumbling about each other outside of game night. Whether success be winning a round of monopoly or becoming president of the United States, danger lies not in the state of success but its methods and relative definition for each person.

Although I have yet to win a game of Monopoly, this quest to success has left competitive rifts between my sisters and me that has translated to sly comments and mumbling about each other outside of game night. My ambitious nature has caused tension between myself and my family members that have made me question the worth of winning a simple game. Though my issue of success seems small-scale and trivial, it reflects the everyday turmoil and effects that those seeking success take, in order to achieve such a title. Domestic controversies such as the Presidential Election of 2016 and the Black Lives Matter movement are prime examples of the varying meanings of success. By justifying the means by the end goal, organizations such as these have executed both positive and negative means to reach their achievement. Just as my losing attitude cost me peaceful relations with my sisters for the next week, many others have gone beyond the necessary to strive for success that has already been reached.

I may never win with my faith in a silver figure and plastic houses, but I’ve learned that the key to success isn’t actually succeeding, but building relationships and respect along the way. The journey is important. Seek better opportunities for success, not at the cost of others, but for the benefit of the party as a whole. Success is relative, and in the eyes of the beholder; don’t misuse this.