The Pedigree and Accomplishments Trap
Don’t conflate being respectful with being a fan.
I see it all the time. In fact, I’ve fallen into the trap many times myself when I was younger.
Someone of stature walks in, everybody hushes up, and the tinge of anxiousness mixed with fear begins to waft through the air. Mind you, the fear I am talking about is not primordial fear, as in fear for one’s life, but rather a fear of subordination - whether it be rank, perceived intellectual ability, or experiential knowledge.
This behavior should not be conflated with respect. Respect should be given, as the individual of stature was able to achieve and accomplish things, garnering a level of believability with what he or she says.
At the same time, respect does not mean to abandon your own critical thinking, nor does it mean the introduction of biases into your ability to think critically.
Yet, it does. Because the person is a billionaire. Because the person is a CEO. Because the person has been cited a thousand times in papers. Because… and the list goes on and on.
Let me remind you: accomplishments are achieved through ability, perseverance, and a whole host of other factors that are completely out of your control. These extraneous factors include things such as timing (or as some call it luck or coincidence), and affluence or lack of affluence and opportunity.
Remember, Taylor Swift’s father pretty much bought the record label that released her debut album when she was just 14 years old. He also bought 100,000 copies to give it a jump start.
The facts are, she has a lot of talent - but she also had a lot of help that most people would never have. Are there people with just as much or even more talent in this world of 8 billion people who could have made it in her shoes?
This is precisely the reason why the moment we start comparing ourselves in a relative way to others, we dive into a well of dark matter. We find that others do it for us all the time - even our most loved ones, our parents. How many of us ever heard them say something to the effect of “so and so’s child went to Harvard, while you went to Boston University - but it’s ok, you did as best as you can!” (sure, but why did you bring it up like that, ma?)
Who is to say that if you were placed in the same situation, the same life situations, that you wouldn’t accomplish or achieve even more? No one, not even you.
Which is why it is unsurprising to see others do it to you, but the moment you start doing it to yourself, that’s when the line is crossed. You can’t control other people, but you can most assuredly control yourself.
In the presence of someone who is pedigreed or accomplished, we humble or limit our threshold to question and think critically. It is they who should be humble, more so than us, yet the reverse occurs. Just because that person is a billionaire. Or a CEO. Or a heralded academic.
Don’t conflate being respectful with being a fan.
One important sign to look out for when dealing with this issue is if the accomplished person ever uses his or her accomplishments as reasons for you to believe and agree with them. That is a sign of them converting their accolades into a form of currency that could extend beyond their areas of high believability. Look no further than the example of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos to see how low that downward spiral can go.
If you do encounter such a situation, then your due diligence and critical thinking should be doubly as unbiased and as thorough.
And when you do end up becoming an accomplished and pedigreed individual, remember to remain humble. Don’t convert what you’ve achieved into a currency to achieve more - short cuts never pan out in the long run.
➡️ Watch the accompanying YouTube video here: