Would you agree with this statement? (Much of our income isn't the result of our own efforts....)

What do you think of the following statement? Is it possible for anyone to get a great job with a good salary and benefits, or does your financial situation depend largely on factors over which you have little control?

Much of our income isn’t the result of our own efforts, it’s a dividend from our society – a dividend we deny those without those jobs.

Yet if we are honest, those of us with good jobs should probably admit that we have them largely through luck and the accident of where we were born. Much of our income isn’t the result of our own efforts, it’s a dividend from our society – a dividend we deny those without those jobs.

2 Likes

I am in full accord with you, Torsten. That’s the truth, not the mere fact.
This concept, which has the undertone of a Marxian philosophy, is live here too.

2 Likes

“Much” is pretty vague. If you are born in a rich country it’s obviously different than being born in a poor country.

However, within the area where you are born, effort is BY FAR the biggest factor. It’s a bigger factor than intelligence, natural skills or any genetic factor (within reason, since obviously a person with an IQ of 50 won’t do well).

Effort is by far the biggest factor, with people skills being a close second. Looking at high school aged kids, there is certainly a correlation between intelligence and success, but it’s not a strong correlation. From what I’ve seen, the best predictor by far is getting a job at a young age, sticking with it, and doing it without complaining. A kid getting a job at a fast food place when they are 16 is a very strong predictor of future success.

2 Likes