| >I don’t feel pride in being Canadian because pride, to me, is reserved for accomplishments >I had no part in being born in Canada, nor shaping this lovely country ... a country filled with opportunity and beauty, where hard work is rewarded, and life is governed fairly and predictably >I am proud of my ancestors ... who crossed oceans, who spoke no English, and settled in the rugged, frozen prairies of Saskatchewan. Does he think the modern Western democratic country we now know as "Canada" was always there and his fortunate ancestors stumbled upon it? Does he not consider carving this beautiful and just land of opportunity from a frozen wasteland an accomplishment of his ancestors? How can you not feel pride in that? Does he not consider himself - a strong, healthy, intelligent, thoughtful man - an accomplishment of his ancestors; the result of millions of years of toil and struggle and selection? Does he think it's random chance that he was not born in a hut in Tanzania? How can one express pride in his ancestors and their achievements in the most abstract sense, while being very sure to completely reject any pride in himself and what they built? Indeed, what else is there? If you asked them, I'm sure they would say that their family and home are their greatest accomplishments - things that he explicitly excludes from eligibility for any sense of pride whatsoever. |
Let's take your example of not being born in a hut in Tanzania. That bit of luck is called the birth lottery and has a major influence on one's life. It defines the resources you have growing up, including school systems, community, and medical care. Then, it extends into networks known by your parents, influencing where you get into college/university and where you start working.
We can't control events to guarantee the right outcome. The best we can do is load the metaphorical dice. For example, you increase your chances of finding a life partner through good hygiene, mental health, social skills, etc.
My meeting with my current partner is one of those luck stories. If I hadn't gone to that dating meetup, if I hadn't gotten the card for "German dungeon porn" in a Cards Against Humanity game, if there wasn't performative shock by all the pearl clutchers at the table, I probably wouldn't have said, “It's hard to be shocked by much after you discover your father is a cross-dresser.”
That one statement taught my partner a lot about me (filtering skills, lack of pretense, humor, and confidence) and made me desirable in her eyes, setting another luck chain in motion.
In my opinion, it was 80% luck and 20% skill.
I'm not sure you can take pride in many things that have happened to you or outcomes you think you achieved because they are most likely luck. Whenever I discuss life and luck, I'm reminded of two phrases that sum it up beautifully: “There but for the grace of God go I.” and “If you want to make the gods laugh, tell them your plans.”