A friend of mine recently said that society was not fair and asked me if I felt that kids from inner cities had as good a chance as those from families who sent their children to private schools. My answer to him follows.

You say that society has been unfair? Seriously? Life is unfair. That is one of the things we are meant to learn as we mature. You can try as hard as you like to “even things up,” but life has a way of getting in the way. We will never be a perfect union. That is a myth.
But this country is the best that has yet been devised. I am sorry you don’t see it the way I do. I guess you are one of those who denigrate our forefathers because they were white males.
Haha! Who would have put their lives, their Liberty and all their worldly goods on the line for Liberty if it were not for those men? Women were not in a position to do it, nor were slaves. The slaves who were brought here, in the beginning, were set to work the land and do necessary labor, just as they were in other countries. They were sold by their countrymen, not by white men. A terrible system which we did not start.

To answer your questions: NO, I don’t believe that everyone advances according to their hard work and merits. Luck has a great deal to do with it. Being a particular type of personality has to do with it. Some people are just unpleasant or rude or uncooperative. They don’t do as well as someone who is good-natured and likable. Those who either have or learned good manners do better than those who have not. Those who do not do as well are often stubborn about learning how to be presentable and articulate and fit in. A specific type clings to their less-educated background ways, and they do not move forward. Alcohol and drugs play a part here. A moral compass, being honest, and forthright are qualities valued in the workplace. Of course, education helps more if it is a good one. ALL education is valuable, but the environment in which the child grows up makes a huge difference. If they come from a family that makes fun of learning, it is going to be hard. If their family is too busy working to help with homework, that is a factor in making it difficult to do well.
But, there are plenty of stories of poor and underprivileged children who do succeed. The marvelous thing about this country is that no one holds it against you if you came from the lowest rung of society. If you do well, save what you can and take advantage of all opportunities, you may have the luck to come through. People will pat you on the back, and say that you epitomize the American Dream. That does not happen in other countries.
By the way, there are plenty of kids who have every possible advantage, and they fall on their faces. They get into drugs and dishonest dealings and they crash eventually. It is not limited to the children without advantages.

This is such a great country. We should spend more time being grateful and less time complaining. If you think things are unfair to some disadvantaged children there is plenty you can do personally.

You know the story about the little boy who was walking along the sandy ocean shore which was littered with stranded starfish. He began throwing the starfish in one at a time. A man walking nearby saw the hundreds and hundreds expiring starfish and said to the boy, “Why are you bothering to do this? You are never going to be able to make a difference.”
The little boy picked a starfish off of the beach and tossed it into the waves nearby. “It made a difference to that one.” He said.

So start working on one at a time and see where it may lead.

Copyright?. 2019 Bonnie B. Matheson