Isn't it strange how we view our circumstances?

Question

I find it strange that those of us who have enjoyed financial success always attribute it to hard work, perserverance, and our own personal dedication that caused our good fortune.
Yet, if we experience any kind of financial failure, loss or setback, we generally attribute it to "bad luck".
Still, when we see others who are 'down on their luck' (i.e., financial losers, alcoholics, drug abusers, street bums, homeless, poor, sick, or hungry) we generally attribute their circumstances to their lack of ambition, dedication, or any kind of work ethic.
Then when one of those 'losers' lands a good job, comes in to some money, or becomes 'successful', most of us will say, "Hell, he just got lucky!"
Isn't it strange how we view our circumstances - and how we see others' circumstances as different than our own?
Why are we so afraid to admit that while we were working hard, perservering, and dedicating ourselves to the task at hand, that 'luck' might have also played a part in our 'success'?

Answer 1

RKO You ROCK!!! What a great question!!

I think many people will point out the "down on their luck" folks as a symbol of what not to be, and attribute their own good fortune to hard work, perserverance and personal dedication.

I think you hit the nail right on the head when you said people are afraid....they don't want their circumstances to change to be like the "down on their luck" person. It's a way of being superior to others less fortunate.

People need to realize that they aren't as far away from the "down on their luck" folks as they would like to think.

Answer 2

I absolutely agree with you. However, myself, I tend to blame circumstances that cause situations as opposed to 'bad luck.' Especially when other people are involved - having a hand in your outcome. Prejudice stems out far greater than skin color these days, and people just hate one another on site for no reason at all anymore. I sometimes feel that a failure or set-back is not bad luck or my own doing, but rather someone's lack of work etiquette. For instance I opened a certain type of bank account on the 24th was told it would be up and running within 3 days. It was not. I had to visit this bank 3 times in order to get the "problem" straightened out, because of their lack of job priorities, I had a direct deposit bounce back from the account (since it was not operational yet) and mailed to a former address. I am still waiting for this check when I should have had it early last week.

Many years ago, people were different, society and the way the world operated was much different, we didn't have the prejudices of today. If someone was down on their luck it was common courtesy to help him in some way. Now it's on the new that if you take a homeless man home to let him work for money he will return in the middle of the night and steal your teenage daughter and make a sex-slave out of her. So it only stands to figure that walking past a bum who may have simply been dealt a bad hand is the reasonable and safest thing to do. Society has become too violent, we cannot help one another anymore and we have turned cold on how we view or judge people's personal progress or failures.

Answer 3

I believe all things happen for a reason. Including success and failure. It is not always about circumstance, or luck. Its just life. Yes we can have a lack of motivation and go down the wrong path. Or we can push ourselves hard to achieve some sort of financial success. Its not how much we have or our status in life that makes a difference. Its our own attitudes that makes us perceive that we are some how different from the rest of the world. Even the most hard working dedicated person can lose it all on just one moment. One event in which ones life could be destroyed. Like 9/11 or Katrina. Nothing is certain in life. The only thing that we have is that is truly ours is the ability to change our views and attitudes toward those around us.

Answer 4

There seems to have been a huge psychological shift in society for sure. What worries me is the break down of the family unit, (where most people would have received help when 'down on their luck.') People appear not to care about others & are quick to condemn without knowing circumstances.
I used to think that the breakdown was due to all the mothers out working and not 'raising' their kids with values, but in this world most women have to work because the cost of living is out of control. My daughter, for example, works so she can provide health insurance. They have a handicapped son. To me, a child with problems, is about the worst 'luck' we can get, yet he is the happiest little boy you could ever wish to meet. His luck is having loving parents & grandparents that care.
I go to Bible study & one lady actually asked when do we know when we own too much & it's not greed. It was generally agreed that you have to look to your conscience.
All we can do is look out for others, be kind, because it will come back to you & that's the best kind of luck.

Answer 5

Yes, it is strange. And sad. Your observations are well supported by experimental evidence.
It is speculated that it comes from cognitive dissonance.
Failure because you are, well, a failure doesn't go well with "I am a reasonable, sensible, good person" so it gets viewed as from chance, meanwhile seeing others fail and thinking they are victims of chance doesn't go well with "hard work leads to success" so the tendency is to attribute it to personal shortcomings of others.
So really, in both cases it's a self-esteem reaffirming defense mechanism.