The Luck Of Wealth

When a wealthy individual is praised on the basis of alleged intelligence and talent in how they accumulated their wealth, it is vital to understand that there is an extent to which luck--sometimes great amounts of it--shapes someone's financial state.  Wealth is not an automatic indication of anything more than a fortunate series of events outside of the owner's influence.  At the same time, all money can be managed in intelligent ways that multiply or remove obstacles to a person's wealth, but this does not mean there is not far more to wealth than just clever resource management.

Is is an immutable fact that many circumstances of a person's life are often far outside of their control.  Being born into a wealthy or poor family, short of a choice on the part of an unprovable existence of human consciousness prior to conception, is nothing but the simple luck of the draw.  So too are the quality and consistency of the opportunities available to people because of their geographical location, level of wealth, and social standing.

However, there is always one aspect of one's life that can still be directly controlled: one's response to whatever opportunities are available.  One's actions can intelligently exploit opportunities or squander them (emotional and broader psychological responses are not always voluntary).  This much is within the power of each individual, no matter how many economic privileges they lack.

The possession of wealth itself can involve a high degree of mere luck.  It does not follow from someone having obtained wealth that they built it up over time through diligence, intentionality, and intelligence, after all.  Perhaps it was inherited, provided from birth, or randomly given to them.  No one in such a scenario can be legitimately credited with forming whatever wealth other people provided them with--however, they are responsible for how they manage it.

To despise the rich for obtaining their wealth in ways that are not illicit is to hate someone for either happening to have an easier life or for using whatever resources they were given in useful ways.  To look down on the poor for not having the same opportunities as the rich is to ignore that unchosen circumstances do not reflect anything about the intelligence, moral character, or value of the lower class.  A degree of luck is present in the initial circumstances anyone has been dealt, but everyone is free to do something about how they handle those circumstances.