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Achieving Pinnacle

Interesting observation from the author of The Tyranny of Merit. Of the students he teaches at Harvard, the Sandel says:

..students have always voiced a wide range of moral and political views. I have not noticed any decisive trend, with one exception: Beginning in the 1990s and continuing to the present, more and more of my students seem drawn to the conviction that their success is their own doing, a product of their effort, something they have earned. Among the students I teach, this meritocratic faith has intensified.

He clarifies this is not unique to his students but there is a larger trend, in speaking of students he has encountered in Chinese universities he says:

.. these Chinese students, like my Harvard students, are the winners of a hyper-competitive admissions process that unfolds against the background of a hyper-competitive market society. It is no wonder that they resist the thought that we are indebted for our success and attracted to the idea that we earn, and therefore deserve, whatever rewards the system bestows on our efforts and talents.

Reading this made me think about what it was like to be a student in India in the 90s. Many of my peers were admitted to the top ranking colleges in the country. Two of the kids I grew up with, placed in the top fifty in the entrance exams. I recall the aura of invisibility that surrounded these folks - the awe they inspired among lesser mortals. There was not a shred of doubt in anyone's mind that they had attained such pinnacle of achievement on account of their innate talents and merits. 

The two kids that come to mind as I write this were not particularly arrogant, they both had the quiet confidence of people who know they are destined for greatness. Fast forward a few decades, that greatness has not yet been realized in material, tangible terms. Neither one of them is a household name or an industry captain. Back in the day, it was was a foregone conclusion that they would out our little town on the map. It makes you wonder if this presumption of meritocracy had something to do with that outcome. Maybe putting more stock into opportunities, support and other factors enable people to realize their full potential might have helped. 






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