In a recent interview conducted by CNBC, when Warren Buffet was asked to divulge his secret to his huge success in the real estate industry, it befuddled many when he said a mere word: luck. He heralded luck as his sole ingredient to success, even denying that his intergenerational wealth granted him a head start in life. Towards the end of the interview, Buffet even proclaimed that everyone could be as successful as him, they just needed an opportune moment, that stroke of luck to catapult into success. This is the saccharine narrative that the world has been enamoured by, with swathes of people pinning all their hopes onto the moment when they are ‘discovered by a wealthy businessman who is willing to invest in their business’ or ‘striking it big when the business takes flight’. This is the quixotic narrative that the rich have sold to the beguiled in society, vehemently asserting that the ordinary folk can be like the rich one day. This is the harmful narrative that has cascaded down into society because of how the rich have deliberately misrepresented luck, causing the masses to harbour a twisted ideal of luck.

Indeed, it is ubiquitous to witness society valorising success stories from the wealthy, with the wealthy narrating their intricate tale of their journey to success. For instance, it would not faze one to see the number of books with memorable and attention grabbing headlines screaming ‘Learning How to be Successful: Tales Told from a Former CEO’ or ‘Trying and Failing, Succeeding in the End’. These books adopt the cliche story plot, narrating a saccharine tale of how the protagonist, who are the rich and wealthy in society, grew up in unfavourable living conditions and was abandoned at an early age before gathering his limited resources in starting a company and catapulting into success after having some luck. Hence, it is no surprise that these books written by the wealthy are often sold out quickly, even having awards such as Times’ Best Seller or New York Times’ Best Seller being bestowed upon the wealthy because of their ‘sheer bravery and tenacity’ in pursuing success.

This is because these books appeal to the emotional psyche of the ordinary man, validating the ordinary man’s plight, with the seemingly empathetic narratives from the rich saying that they were once in their position. Additionally, these books inspire faith within the ordinary man, reaffirming that luck is just around the corner and can befall upon anyone, causing the ordinary man to cling onto that hope and not give up on their aspirations. With such affirmation of hope from the rich, it results in the ordinary man desperately clinging onto their business despite being on the brink of collapsing simply because the ordinary man believes that there will be a day when ‘an investor saves the business’. Thus, the majority in society are more inclined towards listening to the chronicles of the rich, clamouring onto their ambitions and patiently waiting for that singular moment that can change their lives’ trajectory because the ordinary man desires to emulate the rich’s pathways to success.

However, it is imperative to recognise that success unfortunately does not befall upon the majority of the population and those who have been pinning their hopes on the ‘investor who can resurrect their business’ will be sorely disappointed. This leaves many bemused and baffled, wondering how the advice from the rich simply did not materialise in their own situation despite emulating the pathway of success of the rich, causing many to feel nothing but despair and hopelessness in the end. This is because the rich conveniently obscure several details of their own narratives, emphasising that luck is the singular ingredient in determining success, causing the majority to be misguided and misled by the rich. Hence, when ordinary folks listen to the advice of the rich, it is paramount to contest the veracity of their statements and reject certain inconceivable claims made by the rich.

To understand what the rich mean when they refer to luck, it is vital for us to deconstruct how the word luck has been misconstrued by the rich in such situations. If one does a quick google search and finds the definition of luck, it is posited as the success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one’s own actions. This is also known as sheer dumb luck or random chance, meaning that occurrences such as striking a lottery are statistically improbable. However, the rich have grossly misused the word luck and have flippantly thrown the word around in situations, especially when they are reflecting on their success. Can it really be attributed to luck if it is seemingly experienced by so many people? The reality is actually the converse - luck has devolved to be a huge distraction from concepts such as carrying oneself in a dignified and sophisticated manner and wielding an extensive web of networks, significantly aiding the rich in attaining success.