By Mark W. Fowler

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” —Maya Angelou

The Stoics taught that the only power man has is control over one’s reactions to life’s circumstances. That is only partially true. We have power — agency — over the choices we make and the effort we expend to achieve our desired ends. In that posture, our society owes it to young people beginning their journey as adults to give them useful information.

To the extent choice is partially determinative, society is obligated to illuminate the correct path and warn of the wrong path. Too many voices now are false prophets preaching notions that divide us and declaring that minorities are prevented from achieving success.

It is true that racism has been an impediment to many African Americans, but also the Chinese, Japanese, Irish, Catholics, Jews, and others. It is equally true that an enterprising person has significant power to direct his life trajectory without regard to societal impediments. This was the fundamental belief of Booker T. Washington, who rose from slavery to be the first black man to dine in the White House as an equal. His is a story of endeavor and achievement against difficult odds. It is better to rely on oneself with optimism than to pessimistically blame the world for getting in your way.

It is therefore important for leaders to emphasize that individuals have the power to optimize their lives through thrift, hard work, discipline, and cultivating good character. There are too many influential grievance-mongers singing a sad song that racism, capitalism, white privilege, xenophobia, etc. are ongoing obstacles to the success of disfavored groups. This message has the potential to impart anger, resentment, and pessimism. It adds an excuse to give up to a young person handicapped by a substandard education and tragic life experiences. It defeats ambition and corrodes the soul so that the very attributes that might lift them up are sacrificed on the altar of political correctness.

Racism, sexism, and xenophobia are real, but not so great an obstacle as is suggested by the grievance-mongers. In that posture, a kind word and a helping hand go a long way toward tearing down obstacles. Those who are not afflicted need not change the whole world but are charged with changing the world within their reach.

What is also real is the tragic state of American education in some of the larger cities in America, affecting the most vulnerable students. As has been previously noted in this column, in Chicago, according to a 2022 study, 22 schools had no students — none — who were proficient at their grade level in reading. The same study revealed there were 33 schools in which no students — not one — were proficient in math. In Baltimore, a recent survey of 2,000 students from 22 schools including elementary, middle, and high school showed that none were performing proficiently at grade level in math or reading. Only 7% of the students in the entire school system were grade-proficient. In Memphis, a 2022 study in every category showed less than 25% were proficient in any topic.

This is a real obstacle to success, and multifactorial. Nevertheless, one strains to hear meaningful calls for reform of this broken system by the teachers unions.

Finally, the drumbeat for reparations is just another form of grievance-mongering. Most likely, it will never happen on a meaningful level — the federal budget has little room to add for more expenditures, and present opinion is strongly against it. It is a bad idea that should be dropped.

To the extent that statecraft is soulcraft, the emphasis of education should be that each student work hard, cultivate his talents, and utilize his drive and desire to succeed. No government project, however well designed, will bring success like the effort to emphasize individual agency. Nothing else will work quite as well to effectuate success.

Mark W. Fowler is a board-certified physician and a former attorney. He may be reached at [email protected].