CHANCE, CHOICE & INEQUALITY

The search for equality has become the objective of almost everyone in a leadership position of note, whether it be in politics, business, or the armed forces.

If you are disadvantaged, whether by race, sex, ethnicity, religion, or residential status, this may sound promising, and you may well think that progress is being made. The long, dark, damp tunnel is coming to an end; the light is around the upcoming corner. Some say that equality of outcomes is not achievable, and what we have to work towards is equality of opportunity.

I am here to caution you against expecting either condition, to ask you to consider the nature of inequality, and to encourage you to act to improve your own condition using tried and true methods.

Equality, no matter the form, has never existed, and to my mind will continue merely as a concept for many years to come. The universe, after all, is an unequal place.

CHANCE: Most factors in your life are beyond your control. As the billionaire American businessman Warren Buffet likes to point out, “I personally think that society is responsible for a very significant percentage of what I've earned. If you stick me down in the middle of Bangladesh or Peru or someplace, you find out how much this talent is going to produce in the wrong kind of soil... I work in a market system that happens to reward what I do very well.” We have very little control over where we are born and whom to, yet this is decisive in determining our life prospects.

Biochemical individuality means that not only are no two humans alike, but there is also no average, so great is the range of variations. Genetic and environmental factors starting from conception combine to produce the unique individual: you.

On your journey through life you will encounter many situations that you did not ask for, probably did not expect, and find yourself ill equipped to deal with. While you might win the lottery, it is far more likely that you will end up waiting on furlough or government stimulus while on lockdown in a global pandemic.

CHOICE: There are a few moments in which we are able to exercise choice, and so influence our prospects . Sadly, most of us disadvantaged are not able to make choices which increase our chances of advancement. This is because choice is about decisions, and most of us are not in a position to make considered decisions. This is not taught in schools nor commonly in homes. You will need to find this out for yourself. My blog here may help.

One choice, which is a no-brainer, is what I call the “culture thing.” In October of 1987, I took up the sport of Bobsledding and 5 months later almost died at the Calgary Olympics. Six years later, I was 14th overall in the Lillehammer Olympic Games, the 7th nation, and ahead of all USA sleds. As I was on my head at 78 mph in Calgary six years earlier, it occurred to me (after the initial shock) that there was something not right about what I was doing, given my current situation. In the following seasons, I studied the nations best at the sport, especially the Germans, Swiss, and particularly the Austrians, and adopted the habits I found which led to bobsleigh success, with some (as little as possible) adjustments for long held norms. This is the “culture thing;” you need to master the elements that lead to success, which are remarkably consistent across much of the world. Effort with skill, timeliness, diligence, study, imitation of successful persons, and determination. You need to speak in ways that are understood, dress in ways which communicate your intent, find out what you need to know, and then learn it.

INEQUALITY: Alas, none of this will ensure that you will be equal, because inequality is a hard, concrete fact of life, due to chance and choice. We can try to eliminate chance, but that will result in the lowest possible denominator. We can try to manage and limit choice, which will inevitably lead to less freedom and at best a general acceptance of mediocrity.

Better I think to give it your best. Pay little attention to men going to the outer reaches of the atmosphere; focus on what is before you, and act.