Wanted to add that âstatisticalâ is exactly thatâŠreflective of the inherent distribution of possible outcomes across their lifetimes, given their starting point. That starting point is inclusive of physical location, economic stature, race, sex, etc and their journey is influenced by work ethic, opportunity, the broader economy, etc. No one particular outcome is any kind of âgotchaâ for the system at large.
Just ask the folks on the gambling board for examplesâŠand that system is infinitely more narrow than the experiences of an individual across their entire lifetime. How many flawless brackets, created by people with endless knowledge/effort/compute, get ruined every year by someone missing a free throw while a dogs vs cats âjokeâ bracket wins the office pool? You can influence your trajectory quite a bit, but not deterministically
Not to mention bias when looking back is very realâŠJoe Walsh of all people had a great quote at the end of the Eagles documentary that goes something like âat the time, your life seems like random chaos but looking back itâs a finely crafted novelâ. So itâs easy to romanticize your forebears life.