Sources of Success

Alain de Botton Proposes a Kinder, Gentler Philosophy of Success.

And at the Atlantic Alexis Madrigal responds to Jack Dorsey on the role of luck (in addition to hard work and genius) in the making of a great success story.

Something similar came to mind when I read Ta-Nehisi Coates (also at the Atlantic) discussing the challenges faced by daily newspaper columnists, and frankly wondering whether he could meet them himself. But my response is that actually no-one can, and the annointing by newspaper editors of a precious few with the gift of that platform is an insult to those who pay for the papers. (Though I have to admit that if people continue to pay for it then it’s not surprising that that’s what the papers will continue to dish out.)

Whether it’s access to audience via a media pulpit, to political power, or to money, the fact is that there’s an instability in the sense that once you have a certain amount it becomes easier to get more – or as the Bible says “Unto him that hath shall be given, and from him that hath not shall be taken away – even that which he hath”.

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