I've always been very driven and ambitious. I've always wanted to be the best at whatever I do.
The poem is a way of understanding the world, not just explaining it.
What I think I've been talking about really is success and failure. And one of the interesting things about success is that we think we know what it means. If I said that there's somebody behind the screen who's very successful, certain ideas would immediately come to mind. You'd think that person might have made a lot of money, achieved renown in some field. My own theory of success -- I'm somebody who's very interested in success, I really want to be successful, always thinking, how can I be more successful? But as I get older, I'm also very nuanced about what that word "success" might mean.
Men fear death as children fear to go in the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales, so is the other.