I look around outside my quiet imaginary neighborhood. It’s the only neighborhood in the world, and there are a total of 24 houses.
One whole side of the road has no internet access, and all of those houses are in a really poor state of repair. Back on my side of the road, some of the houses are starting to get dilapidated, but there are 3 or 4 that stand out. These homes are built solidly, well-insulated so as to stay warm in the winter and dry when it rains.
Even better, the house I live in is a little bit nicer than those other houses. The exterior is sturdy enough to withstand any storm, but the inside is nice and modern, with the fastest wi-fi on the block. My house has more food than any other house—in fact, so much more food than we could possibly eat.
In summary, I live in the best house on the block.
The World as a Neighborhood
In my quiet imaginary neighborhood, each house represents a different nation, and the conditions of the homes mirror the living standards of those countries. The 24 houses are a microcosm of our global community.
A little over 4% of all humans alive today are American. This means about one in 24 humans alive today are American. America House is clearly one of the most privileged places to reside, with the most opportunities for advancement and opportunities, and every modern convenience you could hope for.
To borrow a phrase from Warren Buffett, I seem to have won the uterine lottery—I have been born into extremely fortunate circumstances that aren’t a result of anything I could have possibly done.
Even further, inside America House, 10 roommates live together, each symbolizing a segment of the society. They come from different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. Yet, not all roommates share the same privileges.
Five of the 10 grew up with parents who instilled the value of education in them, emphasizing hard work and persistence. Of those 5, only two had the audacity to embark on a journey of entrepreneurship, to take risks, to innovate. Of those two, only one was fortunate enough to survive and thrive.
I am that one.
Leveraging Privilege
Merely by virtue of being born where I was, and to whom I was born, it would be all too easy for me to sit back and relax. I could live comfortably, play video games with my spare time, and pat myself on the back for having “made it”, pulling myself up by those old bootstraps.
Don’t get me wrong—I’ve worked very, very hard to get where I am. I’ve gradually developed permission to be curious. I made an awful lot of sacrifices, and while my friends and peers were off partying, I was knuckling down on building a business, or hustling teaching seminars, or working 40 hour weeks while going to school full time.
I was freezing work for later.
But I worked so hard (and still do) because I am very, very aware of the opportunities I have. I know just how lucky I am to be where I am today, and how important it is to leverage luck when some comes your way.
The folks in the houses across the street would kill to have half of my opportunities. Even my imaginary roommates aren’t given the same chances.
My education, my opportunities, and my ability to spend so much time every day writing—these aren't merely gifts but responsibilities. The privilege to write regularly, to express myself and connect with others, is something I do not take lightly. I recognize that my unique combination of circumstances has afforded me a platform, and a voice that not everyone has.
Writing
Writing is how I make sense of the world and my place in it. It's how I hope to inspire, to provoke thought, to engage with those who might see the world from another perspective.
I'm driven to write and improve every single day. It's not just about personal satisfaction or professional success. It's about making the most of what I have been given, about taking my fortunate circumstances and using them to create something meaningful, something that might resonate with others and make a difference in their lives.
Few people have the ability to carve out a quiet 2 or 3 hours every day for writing. Fewer still have the ability and desire to research new ideas for a couple more hours every day.
Being a business owner means I have a much more flexible schedule than most, and curiosity drives me forward.
A Call to Action
If you find yourself living in one of the privileged houses on this street, I urge you to take a moment and reflect on what you have. It's not just about material wealth or opportunities but about the ability to make a difference, to create, to share, to inspire.
We all have something unique to offer, a voice that can be heard, a passion that can be followed. Don't let it go to waste. Embrace your fortune, recognize your responsibilities, and use them to build something that matters.
Join me in the daily pursuit of growth, understanding, and connection. Let's leverage our privilege to create a world where more houses on the block are solid and warm, where more voices are heard, and where we are united by our shared humanity and our desire to make a positive impact.
Winning the uterine lottery isn't just a chance event; it's an opportunity to create, to inspire, and to change the world in our own unique way.
While the concept has merit to a degree, I'm going to to push back and say that there is no such thing as a 'Uterine Lottery' as if you were just randomly selected for your body. It's oddly obvious and yet controversial that we are literally the manifestations of mate selection, education, health, and life decisions of every person in our genetic line. I'm covering this quandary in an essay scheduled to drop next month titled The Beauty Paradox.
For example, my ancestors decided to up and leave Holland and move to the US and start new lives here. My birth here isn't random, nor a lottery. My genetic predecessors chose to leave family, friends, and employment and move to a different nation. Then they chose whom to marry, how many kids to have, where to live, which careers to take, etc. etc. etc. Very little was random.
As such, this manifests in my children inheriting looks, personality, intelligence, and social class based on a litany of decisions that weren’t their own but certainly affect where and how they end up.
Put a different way, would you suggest that a Kentucky Derby winning horse was the result of a 'Uterine Lottery'? The only way the lottery comes into play is with a supernatural 'soul' that is infused in a being. (but then, still not random as there's a hand of 'god' there)
What makes the lottery seem like a good analogy is that the income / living disparity doesn’t feel ‘fair’ and if everyone is truly equal, then we want the disparate conditions to be a random lottery. But the more painful truth is that we know it’s not and that it’s rooted in evolutionary biology.
It’s nature’s middle finger to equality and yet, it’s not random at all. To repeat, we are literally the manifestations of mate selection, education, health, and life decisions of every person in our genetic line.
I am reminded of a certain parable: to whom much is given, much shall be required.