Achievement

A couple of Sundays ago the New York Times ran an opinion piece by James Atlas about the astonishingly multitalented bunch that tend to become Ivy Leaguers and Rhodes Scholars. The piece is mostly a lament:

Just as the concentration of wealth at the very top reduces wealth at the bottom, the aggressive hoarding of intellectual capital in the most sought-after colleges and universities has curtailed our investment in less prestigious institutions. There’s no curricular trickle-down effect.

However, it reminded me of John Lilly's tribute to Steve Jobs, which made a pretty obvious point that nevertheless is forgotten surprisingly often:

That’s it, I think — that’s the biggest message from Jobs’ life. Don’t try to be like Steve. Don’t try to be like anyone.

Be yourself and work as hard as you can to bring wonderful things into the world. Figure out how you want to contribute and do that, in your own way, on your own terms, as hard as you can, as much as you can, as long as you can.

Attending an Ivy League school can open up a lot of doors. So can attending a junior college. So can finishing high school. So can doing virtually anything, if your eyes and ears are open and you never stop learning, never stop seeking, never stop trying.

The trick is not to let yourself get caught up worrying about what others are doing that you think you ought to be doing. Bear in mind that you probably wouldn't be able to do what they're doing, or you wouldn't like doing it. You need to find your direction. Do what you need to do to make the best life you can. (Just don't go stepping on anyone else to lead that life.)

Life's not fair and resources aren't distributed well. We can and should try to make things better, but in the meantime, don't wait around for that to happen. Make the best of what you are and what you have.