Dear Friends,
It seems to me, we don’t seek meritocracy for the benefit of the meritorious, but for the benefit of mankind. Those who are smart, wise, moral, hard working and have a good attitude, will make it under any system. In a system of meritocracy however, such people shine, and illuminate mankind. Like Elon Musk, they become billionaires, who advance technology and industry. By doing so they rub the noses of people who got where they are, not by merit, but by political favor, heritage or conniving… in their own worthlessness. Such an affront to their sense of entitlement is unacceptable and must be punished. When people of merit earn positions of power and leadership, their virtue will make their works beneficial, and the whole of humanity profits from their merit, more than the meritorious themselves.
When people who are worthy earn power, it is used to benefit mankind. Since that is the nature of merit. Those who merit their position will do a better job, at the work, than someone placed there like a post turtle. Doing a good job is only one facet of how merit improves the lot of man. That drive for merit then becomes the means to success, and so merit is sought by everyone. The more people that are in jobs that suit them, (jobs they merit) the better they will be at those jobs, and the more efficient the economy will run. Because, as people do better jobs, more work that is of a better quality will be done. Finally, we look up to our leaders, the meritorious or the moronic. If we emulate people with merit, we will gain merit ourselves, imitating moronic frauds though…
Those who get ahead by fraud, political favor or heritage, will not do a good job, because they’re not capable of doing a good job. It’s outside their abilities. No matter how much they may want to, they will fail, like Boeing. Like a fish who wants more than anything to climb a tree. Unless that tree is underwater, it isn’t going to happen, so they drive their firms underwater. It’s bad enough for the company, if a janitor is inept, but for the CEO of a corporation to be a moron, it’s certain bankruptcy for that firm. If conniving, fraud and heritage become the only means to success, everyone will emulate the rulers… connivers, fraudsters and inept egoists will fill the world. Moreover, people follow their leaders, and if our leaders are stupid, we will ape them and act stupidly ourselves.
Meritocracy is one of the primary reasons capitalism works to increase the wealth of nations. Let’s face it, if every State, company and firm is run by corrupt fraudsters, they will make their money from rent seeking, because that’s all they know. Providing a good for recompense is alien to the corrupt. Such actions, (win win) are more the wheelhouse of the meritorious. An economy that is based on fraud, getting something for nothing and government force, (rent seeking) is not one that will provide any wealth to the nation. An island, with no resources, incessant natural disasters, and is all side hill, on the other hand, that adopts the free market, can become an economic powerhouse, like Japan. How could that be possible? Because when the meritorious are elevated, everyone is elevated.
If a nation adopts free enterprise, it’s also adopting meritocracy, alternatively, a nation that adopts communism or socialism, (Marxism or Fascism) selects political favor, fraud and heritage as the means to riches. Such a society will quickly become rent seeking, and then a negative sum gain economy. Regardless of the CCP’s wealth today, it will dry up like a mud puddle on Mars, the moment they lose the ability to dump products on the planet. The US and Europe are giving up on meritocracy and moving to rent seeking as an economic model. Which means we are also becoming… negative sum gain economies, growing only by inflation. We could revert back to meritocracy, and become economic powerhouses again, but that would diminish the power of the frauds, entitled and corrupt, too much.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
