One of the biggest myths that is shared by the majority of the people in America is that success, in the economic sense, is soley and completely due to an individual’s own efforts. And conversely, lack of success is due to the lack of individual effort and is therefore, deserved.
We have been taught in schools and paradoxically in church, that we can be anything we want to be in America because of freedom. We tell our children this over and over. We celebrate the winners and look down at all the others.
My belief is that this myth is invalid and is the root of the problems in this country. Why? Because it is the ultimate arrogance and ego to assume that we can control every possible event, variable and situation in our lives so as to guarantee success. Certainly there are cases on both ends of experience that validates this myth. But for the majority of lives, chance, fate, luck, the universe or God has more of an impact than individual effort in the outcome of any given decision or situation.
This is more of a spiritual issue and what is surprising is how many conservative Christians believe in this myth while at the same time, believing that God is great and in control. Those seem to me to be opposing positions that cannot be held at the same time.
If we were to accept that we are not in control of every outcome, we would be more tolerant of those that are in need and do more to help them in our society.