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How random has your life been?
(lemm.ee)
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this post was submitted on 08 Dec 2024
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I mean, success is not all random. It's part of that, but it's not enough for most people.
I disagree.
I do understand where you're coming from though, you're opinion is very common. When you've worked your whole life to be comfortable and you want to understand why some people are living in comparitive poverty, it's nice to just think about how lazy and feckless they are and how hard working and diligent you are.
I'm not saying that your opinion is even entirely untrue (although I do think it's mostly untrue), but I am saying that good chance has an awful lot more to do with it than most people consider.
You could be the most hard working person in history, be born in Africa and die of dysentery at age five. Likewise, I myself am doing OK as an electrician, but the only reason for that is that my dad was an electrician and he helped me get on to a path in to the career via an apprenticeship that I was very lucky to get. I have no idea what I'd be doing today if I hadn't gone down that career path by pure chance.
It's not like you don't need luck and I'm ignorant (arrogant?) enough to think all my life is of my own doing.
To not reveal many personal details, let's just say I'm from a very different background than you are and not much was handed to me. Not even a career path.
I've been extremely lucky a few times and my hard working nature did the rest. Sure, without luck my hard work would be worthless. But without my hard work all the luck would amount to nothing.
It all amounts to opportunities and for many people the opportunities are very few.
If you think back a step, think about why some people are the way they are. Is it because of their genes? Because of a teacher or role model they had growing up? Because of the parenting methods or advice they got from those who raised them?
People are who they've because of a number of factors that at their heart are all random.
That would mean there's no responsibility for anything. You raped someone? That's just your genes/upbringing and not your fault! Murdered someone? Same!
That's a very dangerous way of thinking. You are responsible for your actions. Many things shaped you, but you do have a choice.
It's a philosophical argument, not directions for how to live your life!
I think it works better for giving others the benefit of the doubt instead of blaming people who have made poor decisions for not "pulling themselves up by their bootstraps". But you definitely should not try it in reverse, "I'm gonna go get addicted to drugs because it's not my fault" 🫤