I’ve relocated this piece from its static html page on my website, to the parenting category on my blog, because I believe every parent needs to tell his/her child this story.

It’s about a visionary scientist who despite widespread mockery and ridicule, courageouly continued his pioneering work in the field of rocket science, that eventually made space travel possible.

It then provides explanations about what made the achievements possible, with reference to proven success principles and philosophies that can be freely adopted for use by any willing persons. The reader will learn – among other things – why when people make fun of you/your ideas, it could be a good sign that you are on the right path!

It does not matter how successful, respected, authoritative, wealthy or famous they are.

For as long as they do not have the passion for, insight into and knowedege about an issue that YOU do, they are unlikely to see what you see – at first. The problem is that because such people tend to feel they already “know”(and many others tend to believe that these people actually do know!), they will not be aware that “they do not know” as much as you do.

Robert Goddard today has America’s Space Center named after him.

But during his lifetime, he enjoyed little in the way of recognition for the work that would win him the honor of immortality. In 1920, The New York Times (and reporters who followed him around, taunting him after each failed test-launch of his first “Nell” rockets) in a stinging editorial played a leading role in mocking Goddard’s scientific publication.

He consequently, developed an aversion for publicity/the press, continuing his work in “near” secrecy, often refusing to supply details of breakthroughs recorded even when asked. Among other things, he wondered why they would not “mind their business”.

Ironically, while his countrymen ridiculed him, the Germans periodically contacted him about his work.

Evidence that he knew what he was talking about later emerged when Germany launched over 1,100 V-2 rockets at London, badly damaging the city. The missiles later examined(and a captured German scientist interviewed) revealed they were modelled after those developed by Goddard – only his were not meant for use as war instruments.

Forty-Nine(49) years later, in 1969, after the US’ Apollo 11 rocket(built based on Goddard’s work) took off for the moon, a retrospective New York Times editorial admitted that further research evidence and experimentation had confirmed Goddard’s theories(that rockets can fly in a vacuum – such as space – as well as in an atmosphere) to be correct. The editorial ended thus : “The Times regrets the error.” A great lesson, taught by a great man.

The scientist (who had died of throat cancer 24 years earlier) did not get to see the rocket launch or read the apology.

But the FACT that both happened (see Time Magazine March 29, 1999, Vol. 153 No. 12 ) confirms that sometimes people who mock another for his/her ideas do so out of a lack of insight or knowledge that the latter has. The originator of a new or untested idea must therefore follow his/her convictions unflinchingly, till s/he is proved right.

James Cook in his book “The Startup Entrepreneur”, expressed a similar sentiment when he wrote that an entrepreneur should consider him/herself in “good company” whenever his/her ideas attract “doubt or scorn” from others.

To give anyone who faces this kind of challenge further reason to stay resolved towards achieving his/her set goal, the insight offered by Napoleon Hill in the book “Think and Grow Rich” is also quite instructive.

In explaining the fact that defeat is a “temporary condition”, Hill pointed out that we all daily see people who encounter obstacles in their pursuit of a set goal and readily give up, just as we see others who trudge on, again an again, remaining undaunted by repeated setbacks they encounter.

One thing, according to Hill, that most of us do not however notice, is what he called the “silent but irresistible power” that inevitably “rescues” those who refuse to give up in their pursuit of success in a chosen endeavour – adding that if we acknowledge it at all, we call it “persistence”.

He then ends by saying that one fact we all do acknowledge, is that anyone who lacks the quality of persistence CANNOT achieve significant success in any thing s/he does.

Moral: When people mock you, rejoice(!), because it is most likely a good sign that you are on the right path. Keep going, and you’ll succeed!

“Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure.” – Helen Adams Keller (1880-1968)

“Some people make the mistake of equating consensus with truth. That you, and others who think like you, agree among yourselves that a centipede is a millipede wearing a metal coat, will not make the centipede become a millipede.” – Tayo Solagbade

“Even if 50 million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing” – Anatole France