My point being that someone can honestly believe they are suffering at least relatively, if not absolutely. Each person has their own level of experience they consider "suffering".
It's not necessarily a bad thing, but the fact that we're conditioned to think that a non level playing field is bad no matter what (vs a societal expectation that those with the most must give back the most), asking with a fetishistic of monetary success, really warps our outward facing behavior.
I'm not sure you even realize, but that's the exact opposite of the definition of meritocracy.
Meritocracy rewards those who do the most. But those who can do the most are those who are the most well endowed.
This is separate from an even more perverse system where those who don't do the most are rewarded the most.
I believe you are misunderstanding the definition of a meritocracy.
If you can’t say that, you’re not truly self-made. The “rags-to-riches” tale has to actually be rags to riches.
There’s still doing great work and making something of yourself, but it’s very different when you do it from scratch.
There’s always chance, but I see a distinction.
It's difficult to have the perspective it takes to admit that your success may be more due to a privileged starting position and luck than solely the hard work, especially when it's so easy to claim all your success is self-made and the hero worship of self made people in the United States