The Freishutz legend is new to me. But I certainly know a thing or two about Goethe's Faust. And that witty British romp by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Bedazzled. The devil always wins (unless a Gretchen shows up in the final pages to plead one's case). The universe is full of practical jokes. One point you make may be the biggest joke of all. The devil is the face you see in the mirror.

But it's your larger point that really makes me smile. It's not about succeeding but being. Sometimes it takes a little failure before some of us realize the truth of that.