Listening to a recent conversation about capitalism and the people that get left behind in this type of framework. The question arises, what about compassion, where is compassion for the people that can’t survive or thrive under this “do or die” economics. The crux of the argument turns toward the belief in the individual, the belief in the human spirit. That an individual in the most, challenging, oppressive and impossible circumstances can persevere, overcome and succeed, with hard work, determination and belief. The opposing argument is that not everyone has the capacity to overcome those circumstances, to have either the intelligence, capacity, ability, potential or will-power to overcome and persevere.
The question is does this framework only reward those that have that “will-power” and inherently produce those that will be “left behind”. It is a very individualistic endeavor to try and better yourself, to strive for more, rise up out of your given circumstances. There are a lot of outside forces and influences that will try and keep you down where you “belong”. You’ll be lucky to have a rare few people believe in you, if any. It’s a very lonely process, if you’re the first to try and the people around you don’t know how to get to where you want to go, all you’ll have to get through it is your guts and stubborn persistence. You’ll have to go against and break everyone’s expectations and perceptions. It’s that grind, that mindset that many “successful” people have that gets them out of their situations.
And it’s that mindset that also produces the belief, “If I can do it, anyone can do it”, that it doesn’t require a special person or some special ability and talent that it’s based on a very simple decision but very difficult to carry out and sustain. But it’s the freedom to make that decision, that anything is possible that empowers that decision.
But this mindset can create alienation from those that haven’t made the decision to “better” their situation, when they think too highly of their own abilities and what they’ve accomplished. But it can and should create more sympathy and compassion and understanding of how difficult it is, for all the dominoes to fall into place for the decision, experience, knowledge, ability, people, circumstance and even luck to create, generate and push forward the upward momentum.
It’s the ambition that drives the individualist out of whatever difficult circumstance they’re in, to go to college, own a small business or get a professional career. But the ambition should serve and be done for the sake of compassion, sympathy and understanding. That is really the only way both can be in service to and coexist with each other.