alopeciacurrycel
Greycel
★
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2025
- Posts
- 19
The myth of the self-made man is such colossal bullshit. And it does so much work. It does so much pseudo-ethical work for people right of center. It’s a total fiction. No one made themselves. No one picked their parents. No one can account for how they were lucky enough to be born where they were and who they were so that they succeeded, right?
And whatever story they have about being self-made, they’re not responsible for their intelligence. The fact that you weren’t born with brain damage is pure luck. And somebody is being born with brain damage right now in a hospital near you. What do we do for that person, right?
So it’s just a total failure, not just of compassion, but of basic awareness of terrestrial facts, to feel that something important is anchored to this myth of the self-made person. So, if you’re happily married, and you’ve got great friends, and you’re healthy, and you’re living in a great house and a great city, and you’ve never been the victim of anything especially horrible, you’re incredibly lucky, right? I mean, there’s just— you are. You won the fucking lottery.
And so what you should feel—the only appropriate emotions to feel after you take stock of your situation—are gratitude and compassion.