[seahawks78]

> I wish we as a culture/society, acknowledged the luck and timing factor more as a factor in career development.

I would argue that this would be too cruel for the "unwashed masses" to digest/fathom. The myth of meritocratic rise in a capitalistic system rests on the fundamental premise that luck plays little to no role in one's success. That is why you often hear bunkum like "the harder I work luckier I become" and others in desperate attempts to trivialize externalities. The very fact you you won/or didn't win the genetic lottery (born to rich/high IQ/hard working parents) could be a big strike in favor/against you. Furthermore, there is also ample anecdotal/research evidence to show that people who think that they are self made or downplay the role of luck in their success also tend to be more selfish and more uncaring for the less fortunate. I don't exactly recall who said this (most likely a leader from some socialist country a while back) that: since majority of life's success (wealth/riches) is mostly due to luck it can't be morally wrong/unjustifiable to take some of that away through high taxation.

[lliamander]

It is true that successful people often discount the role of luck in their success, but the fact is that even while we don't get to choose what opportunities come our way, we do have control over how we choose to exploit those opportunities.

I find your moral calculus about taxation rather odd. Just because someone didn't earn something doesn't mean other people have a right to take it. For example, just because someone is blessed by genetic lottery with a luxurious head of hair doesn't mean I have a right forcibly take that hair and make a wig to cover my own balding head.