You are successful if you pay taxes. These taxes you pay contribute to improving the quality of life for the society and sponsoring these scientists, mathematicians and rest with their researches.
What is ordinary?
I'm a firm believer in everyone in society playing an important role.
To use a hospital analogy - patient needs surgery to remove brain tumour, neurosurgeon saves patient's life. Yes, the surgeon saved a life, but that wouldn't have been possible without the efforts of everyone at the hospital including the cleaners, aides/orderlies, nurses, administration, maintenance, security etc.. Additionally, outside of the hospital, you have those who provide services from those who prepare those non-delicious but nutritious hospital meals to the pharmacologists who developed the medications. And, yes, you have the tax payers who finance most of this.
In terms of a feeling of personal success, however, I'd rather be the scientist who found the cure for brain cancer than the surgeon who removed the tumour or the person who moped up the blood after the operation. Just a personal feeling, neither right nor right.
So far as taxes go... that's a tricky one. Our taxes pay for many fine things and, sometimes, not so fine things. As a taxpayer, I am no more or less responsible for saving that brain cancer patient's life than I am for a dead Iraqi civilian child, though my taxes paid for both. And what if Australia was unfortunate enough to have a truly grotesque government in charge? Would I be responsible for all of their atrocities? Are the Zimbabwean taxpayers responsible for the actions of Robert Mugabe? You can't take responsibility for only the good and not the bad so I'm not sure if I actually want to take credit for where my taxes are spent when I have no choice or say in the matter.
What is ordinary? That's a hard question. I see myself as ordinary because I am unexceptional and completely dispensable. Everything I can do, millions of others can do better. To only my husband am I truly special and indispensable and whilst that feels me with happiness and even worth, it doesn't make me feel successful per se. Success and happiness are not mutually inclusive in my opinion. I will never be what I would consider a success and I'm fine with that, but I can strive to be happy.
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