> It's not like everyone who doesn't see success is lazy or doesn't work hard. Well, I never said that did I? In fact that's kind of the point of my original

> It's not like everyone who doesn't see success is lazy or doesn't work hard. Well, I never said that did I? In fact that's kind of the point of my original post. Don't discount everyone who's had success as having had it due to luck. And don't discount everyone who's had failure as having had it due to lack of luck. > I personally hate the idea of a moral obligation to do anything. Shaming people into certain behaviours is shitty. I agree. I should clarify that when I say "moral obligation" what I mean to say is "my own, personal, moral obligation". What you do with your life, and what conclusions you draw based on your experiences, are your own. Just don't hurt people. > Having a highly-stratified society, even if we feel it's 'fair', isn't a good thing. Fair point to which I don't disagree. Life is inherently not fair, nor is it kind and forgiving. To your point, that doesn't mean we should give up our ideals of peace and happiness for everyone. My only concern is that we don't write off our fellow man as having achieved all of their success because they were born in the right place, time, skin color, gender, genetics, etc. In my opinion that's a way of looking at life that is detrimental. Instead, accept that luck plays a significant role in all aspects of life, but with hard work you can change your life.