Prompt: “I see the notion of talent as quite
irrelevant. I see instead perseverance, application, industry, assiduity, will,
will, will, desire, desire, desire.” – Gordon Lish
In a modern world so drunk with
substantial aptitude in all levels of skill, both in and out of the workforce,
the weight of competition is daunting. Now, this competition is not solely plastered
to the idea of trying to get a job or make a living but can be and is applied
on a social level at the earliest stages of development. Kids are trained from
the day they enter education to get good grades, to learn, to join a sport, to
get a hobby, to be the best. Adolescents dish out heaps of cash to afford
tutoring, coaches, advisors, and SAT courses. We are taught that the pursuit of
our own wishes is not enough; there is always more to strive for. On a certain
level, to make it both socially, financially, and mentally in modern America,
it is true. But to what extent does natural talent come in to play? Is there
truly no excuse for a lack of success; should those who are not innately bright
in traditional academia or gifted in sport, music, or art just have to work
harder? Is it okay for those who are gifted academically to slack, or work
less?
I believe that the entire argument as to
who reaps the benefits and why quite futile, if not moot. Yes- those who are
naturally talented or smart can and do skate through schooling and get solid
jobs and opportunity with relative ease. Yes, they typically must have some
drive, even if it is minimal, to do so. No, those who are not naturally skilled
are not doomed to a life of poverty or inherent misfortune. However, none of
this matters because, though we should, as human beings, be positive and
personally believe that we can achieve anything, we must recognize that we are
not born on equal footing.
Idealistically, I would like to believe
that success is possible for most people, at least in America. However, the
thought that there is no excuse for lack of success (“make up for lack of
talent with hard work”) is not only dangerous but contributes to discrepancies between
social classes, genders, and races. It invites those of innate power, wealth, and/or
talent the privilege of continuing to ignore just how difficult it can be for
those born into racial, monetary, locational, debilitating stigmas to prosper
in a world of competition on all fronts. It allows people like my father and my
father’s father to look down upon those in slums, to casually assume that they
were on equal grounding the day they were born. It allows for a lack of empathy.
It perpetuates ignorance.
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