Reasons for Optimism

I apologize if I have been too pessimistic in my entries. Specifically last week, writing about the race to the bottom was definitely a downer. But I think there is a lot to be hopeful about. Most of the hope lies in situations where people have bucked the usual trends and have achieved success in spite of being labeled as bad students or disabled or poor. They succeed not because of government assistance but in spite of it. They all use their particular skill sets to advance and not follow the accepted formula as dictated by society.

I was watching 60 Minutes last week and two of the three segments portrayed men who have succeeded in life despite early challenges. The first was a man who was a troubled youth and eventually landed in jail but changed his life to become a well known actor and director. The other was a man who was a terrible student but turned himself around to become a geneticist who unraveled the human genome. Finally, I refer to the person who responded to last week’s blog who was labeled as ADHD but overcame his label to be a successful automobile developer. The common thread amongst these men is their exploitation of their specific talents to succeed. They didn’t rely on government but succeeded by plowing a pathway themselves.

Everyone is born with certain skills and talents. The goal is to identify and encourage a person’s array of skills that will enable him/her to excel maximally. Since we are all different a specific pathway does not exist which could apply to all. Government attempts to treat everybody the same and pigeon holes people to fit into a specific mold/pathway (square peg in round hole). Government dulls a person’s sense of individualism and promotes conformity and uniformity. Ultimately this is detrimental for the individual and in an effort to help people government is really hurting them. A bureaucracy in Washington or at the state house is too removed from the individual to have the ability to explore and encourage an individual’s particular situation.

Each person has to be seen as an individual and allowed to find the pathway that best uses his/her particular skill set. For example, not everyone should go to college. Some peoples’ skill set are not conducive to college and would be better advanced by pursuing a different route. Teachers and parents need to recognize what makes their children/students unique and help them pursue those goals which optimize their talents.

This country at its core was built on principles to encourage the individualistic spirit and for government to get out of the way while its people succeed or fail based on their own ability. Its greatness lies in the fact that it encourages individuals to compete on a leveled playing field regardless of labels and the best man/woman wins while the loser learns from the failure and tries again. This micro-battle which occurs every day, everywhere and at all levels raises the entire nation as a whole. We are an excellent nation because we are made up of excellent individuals. Our national success is due only to the cumulative effect of our smaller individual successes. We should be optimistic since this country is the best place on Earth that allows each individual to exploit his/her innate and learned skill set to achieve success.