The Myth of the Self Made Man

I was thinking about this idea this morning about how no one is really "self made" because we all stand on the successes of our ancestors.. on the opportunities created by the sacrifices of those who came before us. Consider the examples of these "self made men":

• Thomas Edison: One of the greatest inventors that ever lived built on the discoveries of men like Franklin and Faraday.
• Bill Gates: The founder of Microsoft could have never developed operating software for computers if someone had not already invented computers.
• Mark Zuckerberg: The success of Facebook's main man stands on the folks who invented computer languages and internet protocols.
• Donald Trump: While he has brokered many deals Trump built on the success of his father's real estate business.

I could list many more that illustrate the fact that no one is ever "self made". In a sense we are like bricks building a house - our bricks are not foundational cornerstones but merely bricks that are laid on bricks.. and other bricks will be laid atop of ours.