Well, is that it? Are those the only advantages Mr. Gates has had that have given him a boost to the top of the American business elite pile? Those are certainly the most pronounced but what about things like divine gifts, opportunities of chance or just being in the right place at the tight time?
Bill owes where he is today to the possession of one very valuable asset, his mind. Bill Gates built his software empire using his intelligence and creativity in the arena of computer technology. He developed these interests and pursued this knowledge from as early as thirteen years old. Certainly at that age he wasn’t thinking about sales and marketing strategies or building a business empire he was just satisfying his youthfully curiosity. Bill Gates’ curiosity, intellect and aptitude for computer technology are all divine gifts. Not to say that he doesn’t deserve credit for developing these gifts but even his desire to develop them is a reflection of his personality, another gift from God.
It may sound like I’m just trying to discount the man’s success as nothing more then serendipity. Bill certainly deserves the fruits of his labor but the advantages he was blessed with have affected is life results to an incalculable degree and it is for that fact that one must question weather any person truly deserves whatever success in life they achieve.
There are plenty of individuals that did not have Bills built in advantages but made better of themselves then the average man. Take the NBA star Kobe Bryant. Kobe was not blessed with being born into the advantaged race in America (white) nor was he born into substantial money but he certainly did fine for himself regardless of those chance setbacks. In fact Kobe’s wealth and celebrity well surpass most men’s wildest imaginations.
But Kobe was still blessed with some goods. Again, to start off with he was born a man which in the business of professional athletics makes all the difference in the world. He was also born with incredible physical talent and a body that allows him to use that talent to play a game that earns him that wealth and celebrity. In addition, Kobe Bryant was born in a country and in a time that allows him to take advantage of his God given talent for playing the game of Basketball to earn his very comfortable living.
Imagine all the athletes that came before Kobe Bryant, black and white, arguably just as talented and charismatic but that did not have the opportunity he has had just because the mass marketing of sporting events wasn’t a reality yet and therefore professional athletics did not exist.
Just like Bill Gates Kobe Bryant deserves all the fruits of his labor but that labor would not have produced the results it’s achieved had it not been for his physical gifts, his divine gifts and the various opportunities placed before him. It is because of these unknowns and incalculables in life that we must resist the urge of revering individuals for what appear to be their clawing-to-the-top success stories and attempt to factor in some element of temperance for their achievements.
In conclusion, I believe for these same reasons that it is the responsibility of individuals that achieve these heights or for any person that ascends to a station above another to recognize their status in life is but a mixture of divine gifts, opportunities of chance and/or just being in the right place at the right time. With the perspective that their talents and abilities are basically just on loan to them from God I’m confident their approach to life would be substantially more humbled and likely more charitable and giving of their blessings to others less fortunate.
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