No one is self-made

According to Aeon, philosopher Zhuangzi challenges the myth of the self-made person. Essayist Christine Abigail L Tan explores how Zhuangzi reveals a fundamental flaw in meritocratic thinking: the belief that individual effort alone determines success ignores the countless ways circumstances, relationships, and chance shape our lives. We are all embedded in networks of family, culture, and fortune. Tan argues this ancient wisdom offers a vital correction to modern narratives of bootstrap success, reminding us that luck and circumstance deserve recognition alongside effort.

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