Many of my conservative friends love to carry on about how much of society's problems could be solved if only everyone had "the bootstrap mentality". How if everyone were a rugged, self-reliant individual who took the initiative rather than wait for a handout there would be little or no poverty and things would work much better. To be honest, I agree with them in a sense. The argument that people need to take personal responsibility for their actions and carry their own weight in order to succeed is valid. These friends point to many successful business men and women who pulled themselves up by their bootstraps, didn't ask for a handout and now run some of the largest companies on the planet, as shining examples of capitalism and the righteousness of the free market. As a much-maligned liberal (technically a socialist), I don't want to take rich peoples money and give it to lazy poor people because I think the rich need to be knocked down a few pegs.. a ridiculous argument that has been used to slander liberals many times...nor do I hate or spurn the rich because of their stunning success. In fact many of these people deserve kudos for their hard work and dedication and yes, in a meritocracy the harder you work the more you should be compensated.

Where I have a big problem however, is when these same people put forth the argument that they are self made men, that they have created their own wealth. This is a critical assertion that one has to make in order to justify their next argument. That argument being that because they are solely responsible for their success, all capital and wealth that comes from their endeavours should be entirely theirs to do with as they please. Now, I would like to ask the fine folks at JU, do you agree or disagree with this? I enquire out of curiosity, not to seek a fight. The reason I ask is because I believe that there is no such thing as a "self made man", and the idea of the rugged individual who fights adversity to make it big is much rarer than many would have us believe. No person, no matter how strong or smart they may be, can create success out of nothing- to illustrate my point, I will use my life as an example, in order to not appear as a finger pointing hypocrit. It should also be known that while I have not "made it big" nor do I ever have any intent or desire to, I do believe that I am a motivated, productive, contributing member of society.

Growing up I came from a middle class family, we weren't poor but we sure as hell weren't rich and if my brother or I wanted anything, we had to to work for it. I grew up knowing that things had to be earned and not expected, that through hard work one would see the fruits of their labour. Sometimes money was tight and you could definitely see that the folks were worried, but as a family we pulled through and I owe a lot to my parents and brother for the upbringing they bestowed on me. When I graduated from high school I wasn't entirely sure what the hell I wanted to do. Many of my friends were being pushed into university by their folks when they didn't even know what they really wanted to do with their lives yet. So I joined the Army (Canadian) to try and get my bearings. It was during this time that most of my socialist ideals were formed. My time in the military taught me that most of the truly great things ever achieved in life are not done by individuals in a vacuum but by a group of people working selflessly and harmoniously together. You could have the most brilliant general in the universe but he's nothing without dedicated soldiers to carry out his orders (and yes, I acknowledge that generals are a much rarer breed of person than grunts, and therefore should be compensated accordingly but you'll be hard pressed to find a grunt that would ever call a general brilliant) In my mind a fine, albeit simplistic example of how I learned the benefits of socialism were in bootcamp, as a bunch of recruits rushed to get the barracks ready for the next inspection.

One group of recruits believed that if everyone looked after their own little corner of the barracks, and took responsibility for their personal kit and bunk that that would work the best- if someone else didn't manage to get their own kit squared away in time, then screw 'em! These people insisted that they look out for # 1 first and so should everyone else. The other group of recruits worked together on each others kit and public spaces, which meant that some of them would get in trouble for not having their own stuff looked after at all. But the next day, the people that they had helped were now returning the favour. As time went on the ones that worked as a team managed to get each other's kit and common areas in such good condition that they had time to spare before inspections and were now being asked for help by the "rugged individuals". I've found this example to carry over many times in life, that when people work together in this way they not only get the job done better and faster, but they also forge lasting friendships which they can call on when hard times hit. Which in my mind is a real shame that we have an economy and society that encourages ruthless competition with each other, rather than fostering cooperation.

So anyways, during my time in the army I found my passion for what I wanted to do in life and once I discharged I went to college so that I could realize my goal. During school I worked two jobs to pay the bills and keep myself largely out of debt, and there were times when I had just enough money to cover the bills, with very little left over for food. I remember finding a twenty that had fallen in between the couch cushions one day and being ecstatic that I could now go and buy something other than kraft dinner for a change.

After college finished I managed to land a job at a company that I'm quite happy with and have been working at for some time now. I have a career in a skilled technical field that I find rewarding and meaningful and I am happy with the compensation I get for my labour.

Now the question is, did I become the person that I am today by myself? Did I pull myself up by the bootstraps and forge ahead to create my own destiny? The answer in my opinion, is not really. I am where I am today because of the choices that I have made throughout my life, BUT also because of the upbringing my parents gave me. I am here because of the education bestowed on me by many different teachers. I am here because many, many people helped me learn something I didn't know or showed me something in a different light. I am here because a bunch of nerds from around the world wrote a bunch of books that I read in school, which helped me get my present career. On a more base level, I am here thanks to farmers that grew the food that I have eaten and factories built the products I have used. The same can be said about anyone and everyone. I am, in a sense indebted to everyone that has helped me get to where I am today, even though I have not nor ever will meet most of them. So I believe it's only fair play to return the favour, you know the golden rule? I believe that because society has helped me, it is only right that I should return some of the help back, and that because I had a good public education system and healthcare system and government subsidized college (Canucks pay a lot less for post secondary than in US) that other people now growing up should have the same opportunity. I know that if I fall on hard times, I'll be able to collect welfare until I can get back on my feet again, and won't have to worry about going homeless in the mean time, and that if I get sick I will be taken care of without getting a bill for $15,000.0 for 3 nights in a hospital room (or worry about haggling with a health insurance provider over whether or not I had a pre-existing condition or got treatment in an 'off-network' hospital) Is there a kernel of truth in my words or am I just another liberal moon-bat? You decide.