Those
magical words I and anyone else who has ever taken an
exam wishes to
hear (unless it is a
medical exam testing for a
disease, but that a different story...)
No one WANTS to fail. We may protest that the exam isn't important, that in the great sweep of our lives this is but a mere ripple on the landscape, nothing to worry about. But that is a lie, and we all know how devastating it is to fail when we care about the result, especially when our futures depend on it. We all want to pass, to succeed, to be rewarded for our effort, even what little we grudgingly gave on the last few days before it. We all want to cheer when we pass, both the standard pass mark, and our own internal mark for our rating of success.
<fakefunnybitterness>We all want to boo those serene bastards and bitches who casually glance over their notes hours before the exam, yawn, walk in, and get the highest mark in the class. These people, while they should be shining examples to us all, are undeniably irritating, mainly because we all secretly wish to be them.</fakefunnybitterness>
So you had an exam, a little while ago. Afterwards you put it out of your mind, and just recently it popped back in as you realised the results are coming out soon. Curiosity turns to nervousness as you realize that you could have worked that little bit harder. You swallow your fear, straighten your back, and walk into the results room. When you come back out you are relieved. The colour is back in your face, and indeed the world and you know, in black and white, that you did a good job and from now on you can tell the world about it.
Passing is very important for some people, it is validation that they are successful not only in Ancient Egyptian Heiroglypic Algebra, but also as human beings. Some take failure badly, some take it well. All are a little envious of those who passed. And for those people the world seems, if only for a few brief moments, a just and good place, and it feels nice to be alive.
Well done you, you've passed!