Are you feeling lucky today?
At the time of writing this post, it is 1st Jan 2021. We’re still in the middle of a pandemic. Although vaccines have been found and vaccination works are ongoing, it still takes some time before we could safely say that we are out of this mess.
So I guess you would answer the question which I’ve posted earlier with a resounding NO.
Let’s take a step back and imagine if you were to experience a pandemic in a different setting. Winding back the clocks and you end up in 1918, where the Spanish Flu was rampaging across the world. Similar to COVID-19, its effects were devastating to societies around the world. I’m not going into details for that event, but just imagine yourself as an average Jane or Joe living in that era. Some of the stuff you deem you are unable to live without today, have yet to be invented yet back in 1918, some examples as below:
- Internet
- Smartphones
- Online Delivery Services (Food and items)
Above are considered luxuries to have during a pandemic, but what about the necessities to combat the pandemic? Yeah, social distancing measures were introduced and face masks were there, but medical capabilities a century ago are definitely incomparable to those that we are having now. Not to forget, during that time period, there was a WORLD WAR raging on.
Bet you felt luckier now? I could take you back to 1347 and talk to you about the Black Death, but let’s not dwell on that, and I think you get my point by now. Let’s get back to the title of my post.
The Ovarian Lottery
This concept of the “Ovarian Lottery” was explained by one of the most successful investors in the world – Warren Buffett. At Berkshire Hathaway’s Annual Shareholders Meeting in 1977, Buffett elaborated that the many advantages you get in life, are determined by chance.
“You don’t know whether you’re going to be born black or white. You don’t know whether you’re going to be born male or female,” he explained. “You don’t know whether you’re going to be born infirm or able-bodied. You don’t know whether you’re going to be born in the United States or Afghanistan.”
“The ovarian lottery is the most important event in which you’ll ever participate,” Buffett continued. “It’s going to determine way more than what school you go to, how hard you work, all kinds of things.”
“The ovarian lottery is the most important event in which you’ll ever participate”
Warren Buffett
In 2013, Buffett made similar points to journalist Rebecca Jarvis.
“The womb from which you emerge determines your fate to an enormous degree for most of the seven billion people in the world,” Buffett said, “Just in my own case: I was born in 1930, I had two sisters that have every bit the intelligence that I had, have every bit the drive, but they didn’t have the same opportunities.” In summary. “If I had been a female, my life would have been entirely different.”
The Unfair Disadvantage
Let’s face it, life was never fair to begin with. I’d prefer that you come to terms with this now rather than later. Like what Warren Buffett humbly admitted, the success he owns today will never be the same if his birth circumstances were different.
As I ponder upon what Buffett has said, I can’t help to think about the different states I would be in if I was not born into who I am today. If you’re reading this through the internet on your smart devices, I presume and pray that your life and life situation should be decent as well. Let’s imagine scenarios as below:
Scenario #1 – Born in a war-torn country
Imagine you’re a civilian, running away from the battlefield, needing to seek shelter from one place to another. If you’re lucky to find one for the night, you’ll still need to pray hard that you can get through it safely. The sounds of missiles and explosions will keep you up.
Scenario #2 – Born with disabilities
I’m not going to say that I understand how it’s like, because I don’t. I am just grateful that I’m lucky enough to be born without any disabilities. Life will be so much more challenging otherwise.
Scenario #3 – Born in the Hunter-Gatherer Age
I have short-sightedness (myopia). Imagine being a hunter/gatherer when you could trip and fall to your death anytime because you can’t see properly. Either that or my tribe will banish me at the first opportunity because I couldn’t contribute. You could argue that the chances of me having short-sightedness during that age is slimmer, but I wouldn’t want to take any chances.
Thinking about the scenarios above might bring you some sense of humility and gratefulness towards our lives. I was not born into a rich family. Nevertheless, I’m thankful to be provided with all I need to lead a comfortable and happy life. Never had I need to worry about the roof over my head, or the food on my table. I am blessed.
The Unfair Advantage
There are always two sides to a coin. Time we take a good look and make the most use of the edges we have in our lives.
In his book – Atomic Habits, James Clear wrote about how one of the greatest athletes in human history – Michael Phelps, is able to fully utilize all his genetic advantages to achieve what nonother athletes have achieved in their lifetime. Phelps has a longer torso and relatively short legs for a person of his height, giving him the perfect build for swimming. He is the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time, with a total of 28 medals under his name.
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
Albert Einstein
Clear also wrote about another lesser-known, but fantastic athlete named Hicham El Guerrouj. Hailing from Morocco, El Guerrouj is the proud bearer of 2 Olympic gold medals and is also known as one of the greatest middle-distance runners of all time. El Guerrouj has a short upper body, and incredibly long legs – the ideal body composition for distance running.
How did the two manage to pull it off?
Simple. They tapped into their unfair advantage. They have entered into the right field with the right strengths.
If the two were to switch sports, I don’t think they could come close to the accomplishments they have today. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but it’s the truth.
Dealing With The Cards You Are Dealt With
“It’s not about the cards you’re dealt, but how you play the hand.”
Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture
The key takeaway here is: Know your strengths, and build upon them. Find your unfair advantage and make the most use out of it.
Back in my studying years, I read a book written by Randy Pausch, called The Last Lecture. If you have not read this before, I highly recommend it. One quote from the book that left a lasting imprint on my mind since then was this: “It’s not about the cards you’re dealt, but how you play the hand.”
Although the context of this quote is slightly different from my post, I could definitely relate to both.
Instead of whining and complaining about why the world has put you into such a position, think instead of how this position can benefit you. Take a deep look into your talents and skillsets, you are bound to be good at something that will give you the edge that you need.
In the past, we might be bound to certain restrictions. Information and knowledge sharing might be scarce. Today in 2021, our daily lives are flooded with streams and streams of information, up to a point that you need to filter out the useful from the noise (I’ll probably write more about this in a future post). With a simple Google Search, tons of relevant information will pop up right in front of your eyes. If reading isn’t your kind of thing, there are tons of videos that you can find online that will teach you the necessary skills you desire. The best part is that.. most of it is FREE.
So what are your excuses now?
This is post #1.
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Interesting read