How much does luck actually influence life?

[GeneralFap]

I saw a neat video the other day about the illusion of Free-will and how much our genetics and environment determine our life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpP-nL-GMuk

Whether not you reach success has a lot to do with factors that were our of your control.

Your level of intelligence
The stability of your environment growing up
Your sex-drive (making you more likely to want success/more driven)
Whether of not you were taught a good work ethic since you were young
How good your brain chemistry is
Your time orientation

etc...

This is not victim mentality, it's reality. This is why so few people in the ghetto ever get out or leave poverty. They were unlucky to be born in an environment that fostered violence and poverty. A lot also grew up without a father-figure that gave them guidance and taught them responsibility, causing them to drop out of school or get into gangs. The cycle of thoughts that was been implanted into their brains is not all of a suddenly going to change from: "Let me see if I can steal that bike" to "I want to go to college and get a science degree." Very rarely does that happen.

This translates into success with women as well. The better looking you are, the taller you are, the better genes and environment you grew up in the more likely you are to succeed in this area. Plus, some guys were just predisposed to bad things like anxiety or depression or were just born in a bad environment. And only a few lucky ones like you and me will even think about pickup as a skill and seek to improve.

A lot of us like to blame "beta males" for being weak, but they were just unlucky to be born in the west where they were taught, since young, values that caused them to act this way. It's not really their fault. If they were born in a different place they would've been completely different.

Take Elliot Rodger, for example. He was a short guy who was bullied in school for his small stature, which caused him to develop depression. He also had Asperger's which made him smart but socially awkward. This made him unable to interact with people and get girls. He then lost all hope for himself. I'm not excusing what he did but if I placed anyone inside his body and gave them his same life experiences and exact brain, they would BE just like Elliot.

 

[Inbocca]

All those things you mentioned set an individual up for life. But where that life goes is entirely their choice. Victim mentality doesn't kick in until they look at those factors as reasons why they can't do something.

Using the "born in the projects" example you gave:

A lot of people born into that environment end up similarly because it's easier, or because they've chosen to believe that's all they can do. But what makes a person decide what to believe? Some people with identical backgrounds can look at the statement "You can't" and have completely opposite reactions.

Some of it has to do with how far they're willing to reach. I heard a news story about chai vendors in India, and one of them said the biggest dream he's ever had in life was to be provide 2 meals a day for his family. Some people might hear that and think "oh how sad, that kind of poverty is horrible and no one should be forced to limit their dreams because of it." My reaction was "How can you live your entire life and never once have a bigger dream than that?" Realistically, working as a chai vendor makes very little money and unless he changes something, he'll struggle to eat 2 meals a day. But if he never aspires for anything greater, he's never going to have anything greater.

Some of it has to do with how hard they're willing to work. A lot of those obstacles are pretty insurmountable: poverty, disabilities, unstable environments, addiction, even victim mentality can be incredibly hard to beat. If they weren't, all the guys on this forum would be lady-killers with the kind of support and advice that's provided. Everyone who wanted to be a musician would be famous and every business owner would be Donald Trump. But there are more than enough examples of those obstacles being overcome to show that natural impediments aren't everything.

But there's one thing you said that seems most important.

A lot of us like to blame "beta males" for being weak, but they were just unlucky to be born in the west where they were taught, since young, values that caused them to act this way. It's not really their fault.

It really doesn't matter if it's fair to blame them or their environments. If they don't make the decision to work through it regardless of obstacles, they'll be stuck where they are. It's better to get to a good place than it is to not feel at fault while being in a bad place.

And I don't know exactly what went on in Elliot Rogers' brain, but I know other people with Asperger's and social disabilities who hate themselves and their condition, and I know others who've said fuck it and worked their asses off to beat those obstacles. The latter are much happier than the former.

 

[Indian Race Troll (IRT)]

All of this was some deep stuff but I consider myself to be a lucky guy.

I went to a high school in California that fit the mold of having a lot of the hoodrat types (of all races) who didn't want to get ahead in life and just cause issues for everyone. Classes were full of class clowns, try hards, wannabe tough guys, and people just looking to start trouble. The school and district itself was mostly Hispanic, black, and to an extent Asian/Samoan. We had some whites too but they kept a low profile. I was one of the very few Indians at my school and that led to a lot of unwanted confrontations. The area of California I was growing up in had terrible race relations as well, people segregated themselves quickly.

For college, I ended up going to a school out of state and thankfully a few months before starting I learned about the importance of being in a fraternity. Got there, went to rush, and got a bid from a decent house which was mostly all white except for me and a few other guys. Getting to know my brothers, it did somewhat depress me at times to see the situations they came from compared to mines. Nice high schools in the suburbs where there was a friendly sense of community, generally attractive student population, nice homes, and your typical high school experience that some movies depict.

I started to slowly learn how unfair life can be but at the same time, I was grateful. Yes, I missed out on a good high school experience but my college experience was amazing. I dated hot girls, partied hard, had some great bonds with my brothers, fun moments, and an amazing experience. Now I am in the process of finishing up and getting a nice job in my field that will have me in a big city.

That is what luck is though, taking advantage of those few windows of opportunities that present themselves.

I look back and most of the kids from my high school went nowhere at all. Most did not have aspirations of a greater life and they were all caught up in drama, trouble, and in this cycle of hating everyone. A good number of them were full of hatred and their situations made them into some truly hateful people who never got anywhere.

Life presented me with a window of opportunity and I made the most of it, glad I did. Looking back at it, it was those few key moments and those key decisions that dictated the path of my life. I could have easily gave in and been just as hateful towards the wealthy as the kids in my high school or walked around life with that mindset, but I didn't.

I didn't go around with a chip on my shoulder towards my brothers and I gave myself to them, it really helped me in the long term and now I have some good friends alongside some good experiences to go on. Life gives most people those opportunities and chances to make it out of their situation but they are too busy caught in the past to make anything of it.