31 Mar 2025
You can believe some serious bullshit and still be financially successful. You can be so wrong about the nature of reality and still be able to make a living, and even a really good living.
Notice I am not talking about bullshitting here. This is not about, as Fonzie said, "Bull makes the world go 'round". I am talking about what beliefs you hold about the world.
Think about this: people with exact opposite views can be successful. Ibram X. Kendi has had significant success. So has Glenn Loury, who has called Kendi's ideas "Poisonous" Racial Ideology. I am purposely not saying (here) which one I agree with, because for what I am talking about right now it doesn't matter which one, if either, is correct.
There are Jews who are highly successful. Ben Shapiro comes to mind. There are Atheists who are highly successful. Richard Dawkins comes to mind.
There are socialists who are highly successful. Bernie Sanders. Capitalists who are highly successful. Elon Musk.
I hazard to guess that in almost all fields of endeavor, you can find successful people with opposing beliefs, attitudes, and ideas.
I have always been focused on understanding reality and getting it right. But what I have come to realize is that you don't have to get it right in order to be (financially) successful.
I still want to develop the most accurate understanding of the world that I can. It is what drives me.
But what I am trying to understand right now is financial success. And financial success does NOT depend on being correct about facts.