"hard work does not always make you successful"
I did not say ALWAYS. I am sure you can see how that changes the meaning. That said, I respectfully disagree with you. Your story is interesting, but you did not say whether the person was happy or not. Was she? If she was then your story is meaningless and she needed no assistance. If she was not happy, who's responsibility was it for her to change? The democratic party's?, Mine?, Yours? Couldn't be her's could it?
I have met people that were probably at least is "poor" as your example, yet were very happy people. I will put them ahead of many that society would label as a success that are really miserable, but make a bunch of $.
Why do YOU feel she had no other options? What should society do to insure that people don't have to do what she did (since it is apparant that you feel she was not happy)?
How do you define success, btw? Money, free time, power, inner peace, good family?
Here is my formula (for people of able body and mind):
Hard work + smart = rich (monetarily)
Hard work, not smart = food on the table, a place to sleep
Lazy + smart = same as above
Lazy + not smart = may need assitance
Add a mixture of luck (good and bad) into all of the above and the results can vary dramatically. To get a good objective view of luck you can go to the casinos. If you think most (or even a signinficant percentage) of people who are successful got there because they are lucky you may be happier in a communistic society where everyone gets the same (except for the "lucky" politicians).
There is NOTHING wrong with teaching that hard work can get you ahead in America. Labeling the succesful ones as lucky is a copout and sets a bad example for people who could use a good example. |
