Use it or lose it is a key principal in nature
This blog post is a stream of consciousness on the topic of untapped unused wasted potential. In many cases we see people who claim that life is unfair (maybe it is) and that things need to be changed. In some cases people will say the government should be used to "level the playing field" or to give competitive advantages to the previously disadvantaged.
In some cases some other people have claimed that this point of view is adopting the "victim mentality" and that the better way to approach this is to "do it yourself" rather than wait for a rescue team. My current opinion is in between these two extremes and I'll describe my thoughts below.
I do not think most people live up to their potential and I do not think it's because of anything the government is doing (or not doing). I do think society sets a lot of traps, has a lot of people who fall through the cracks who have great potential, and while we can blame some of this on bad laws (which should be changed) I do not think we can always place blame on the law.
In my previous blogposts I always touched on the topic of wealth. Usually someone will say something like "the wealthy 1% are getting wealthier while the poor are getting poorer" or they'll say that "but those people in Africa are so poor" or "they were born in poor countries". The people who are making statements such as this are looking only at very specific forms of wealth such as monetary wealth. The people making these statements are not looking at the full spectrum of genetic potential.
Africa for example has more genetic diversity than any other continent on earth. As a result of this genetic diversity Africa actually has the most genetic potential of any region on the planet. African people in terms of gene pool are the wealthiest. The problem isn't that Africa doesn't have talent, or genetic potential, or natural gifts. The problem in Africa from the prelimary research I have done is institutional corruption (money concentration) and lack of connectivity to the international community (lack of financial access). The money concentration is something common in most countries including in the United States
If Africa is rich why are so many people in Africa living poor? This is a question which I think is legitimate to ask. If we look at wealth in terms of genetic potential or even look at natural resources on the continent then Africa in wealth could not be considered a poor continent. If we look on the individual level assuming most people are only born with ownership of their own body then here there is also a lot of wealth.
Genetic potential as an example could be an ability to grow big muscles. Not everyone has the genetic potential to be a bodybuilder. A person who lifts wights and who sees rapid progress might discover they have a genetic gift. This person now is faced with the option of developing their genetic potential to the fullest or not. A society which has a well run economy would encourage everyone to develop their genetic potential whatever it is. In my opinion one area where society can be blamed is that there isn't a lot of facilitation of the development of genetic potential.
What does "if you have good genes, use them" mean? It means if you discover you do have a gift or that you have natural potential to excell in some area then put it to use. Often school, academia, in the standardized formal version, teaches people to ignore their genetic potential and focus on fitting in, focus on getting "good grades" in subjects which are mandatory but which don't really help a person discover a true talent. It might be mandatory to read certain books but if everyone is reading the same books then how exactly is rare talent discovered? If on the other hand each kid is given personalized education then rare talents can be discovered early enough so that the kid can develop their genetic potential into something unique and highly skilled.
The body building example is interesting because while it does require a lot of genetic potential to do it, there are also a lot of cheaters. In addition to there being cheaters (using steroids and other drugs) there is also very little to no money in body building. Besides modeling, and the occassional Mr Olympia, there isn't much real money to be earned. On the other hand there are sports which do have big money involved so depending on how a person uses their athletic potential they could develop into the next Lebron James or Jon Jones to make potentially billions of dollars or they could do body building and not make much at all.
The example here is that it is not enough to simply develop genetic potential but it is also important to analyze the market to figure out where the demand is. A person who has natural athletic potential still has to find a niche where they can use their genetic gifts in a way which can make them financially successful. There also are other elements as well beyond just physical gifts such as managing reputation, managing PR or the media, but the point being that the wealth often isn't socially recognized so people have talent which is often not developed.
Good is also subjective. When I say "good" genes it does not mean I'm able to define what good is. I absolute cannot define "good". What I rely on is data and sentiment. Good is simply what the market rewards. If for example tall people who can handle a basketball and jump high is rewarded then it's "good" to have these traits. Traits wihch get rewarded by the market (rewarded by other people in some measurable way" are considered by me to be the currently recognized "good" traits.
So a person who has "good" genes simply has genetics which are currently viewed as beneficial, marketable, monetizable. If a person knows this at a young enough age and has the drive to work toward a goal then it is possible to make the best with what genetic gifts you are born with. A government cannot actually make a person into a world champion and no amount of social programs will make someone train hard and out compete their rivals. I am in support of universal basic income for the cases where a person cannot compete or does not want to live the lifestyle of competition but for people who want to compete I think they should be allowed to live the competitive lifestyle.
Feel free to comment and if I'm wrong about something let me know.