Winning

While I'm on the topic of investing, I find it interesting that people who are fully aware of the idea that not all financial investments will pay off may not see social or personal investments in the same way. I've written before about the idea that what many people see as grit or perseverance may be more accurately be described as trust. And so this raises the question of whether or not people who have turned to crime or other disapproved means of supporting themselves are wrong to distrust the system.

Personally, I tend to see a certain level of distrust in society, and the promise that "working hard and playing by the rules will lead to success" to be justified. While I don't deny that it's worked out (reasonably) well for me, that's not a sign that it's going to work for everyone. After all, everyone isn't me. But I think that some of what drives a certain understanding that the system will work for everyone who engages with it in good faith is that it allows for a level of cost-shifting. If grit and hard work are seen as guarantors of success in life, then there is no reason to pay costs associated with creating a better society; society must be just fine as it is.

For me, the idea that society needs no improvements for more people to have better outcomes flies in the face of reality as I understand it. But I don't really fear the costs of making it better. After all, it's a "pay me now, or pay me later" sort of situation; the bill is going to come due at some point or another, so why not pay it now? But I also understand that my own position in life, despite the work that I've put in, has an element of good fortune in it. Rather than having simply created opportunities for myself where none otherwise existed, I've been able to find and take advantage of opportunities in the world around me; which necessitated someone else not being able to do so.

With some further good fortune, I may be able to create opportunities for others. But I don't begrudge them not waiting around for me to manage it.