Population Distribution

For every 100 schleppers in the world, there are 10 machers and one mensch.

Why are there so many schleppers? The easy answer is to steal from Lincoln and say, "God must have loved them, because he made so many." But even so, one would think that frustration would cause almost everyone to graduate sooner or later. Alas, it is not so. First, laziness plays a big part: Many people are just not willing to do what it takes to move up. Second, it requires maturity: An attitude adjustment is required to graduateyou need to take responsibility for your own destiny. It is easier to complain about the system and your inability to advance than it is to take matters into your own hands and succeed in spite of obstacles. Finally, there is a commitment to continue to grow. Moving beyond the schlepper zone is a fundamental change, and it scares many people, because it implies a new way of life that is bereft of the simpler comforts that the schlepper enjoys. Because the "no gain" comes with "no pain," many schleppers can never quite get over the emotional barrier it takes to graduate. I think these three factorssacrifice, maturity, and fundamental life changeexplain why there are so many schleppers out there.

All this exists in the context of a real, sometimes harsh, external world. In my experience, intelligence and talent play much less a part in graduation than do hard work and a determined attitude. In today's global economy, I believe that the opportunity is there, that there are no insurmountable cultural, social, or other barriers. If you allow yourself to believe that external factors rule, you will consign yourself to the role of a schlepper. You can prevail over others who block the path, but no one can lift you over a barrier that you construct for yourself. That there are only 10 machers for every 100 schleppers is the greatest waste of human capital that I can imagine. It is a situation that I find untenable as we move deeper and deeper into the information economy. The schlepper jobs are going away, but the attitudes that have allowed them to persist for so long are not.

For those who graduate, a relatively short period of their lives is spent schlepping. If you are in this category, most of your life will be spent as a macher, so try to be a good one. If machers could look at this period of their lives as apprentice mensches, we might all be a little better off. I don't think it would make them much less effective, and, in the long run, we'd all live longer and be happier. But it's tough to alter the macher's behavior, because he believes his effectiveness is tied to all the characteristics that distinguish him from the mensch. It's a puzzle.

I worry that my estimate of one mensch for every 10 machers may be higher than the actual number. The world needs more mensches, as they seem to be in constantly short supply. In too many cases, their period of menschhood is short, as their spirit is more durable than the body that contains it.