Grim “From a societal point of view, the worrying aspect is the sort of character traits currently required for success, compared to traits which tend to be disadvantageous.

Bad traits: humility, modesty, generosity, empathy, lack of ambition, sensitivity...
Good traits: Arrogance, conceit, greedy, rapacious, ambitious, insensitivity...”

Based on my experience of life, what you define as “good” versus “bad contributors to “success” is a load of crap.

What you describe is amounts to the most negative perception of other peoples motives and values.

Anyone who wants “long term” success will more likely succeed through the adoption of what you describe as the “Bad traits” and will most likely quickly fail by pursuing your “Good traits”.

Adopting the practices which bring about “success” and the pursuit of excellence in any field of endeavour is, after all, a long term exercise.

Even Mozart had to practice his craft before he wrote his first score and he did not do it with “Arrogance, conceit, greedy, rapacious, insensitivity”. (ambition is different)

I would suggest he did it with: Dedication to the task, passion for his art, love of life, generosity of spirit, study etc.

Most commercial success is founded upon

accepting the criticism of ones customers (humility)

balancing the praise of ones customers (modesty)

extending credit to trusted clients (generosity)

being responsive to client needs (empathy and sensitivity)

“lack of ambition”, is not a “quality trait” at all… it is a deficiency.

Regarding “Arrogance, conceit, greedy, rapacious, ambitious, insensitivity...”

With the exception of “ambition”, the rest would ensure personal and business failure before success.

Ambition is part of what propels people to achieve and do better.

Without it, we would still be groveling in caves, chewing on roots, killing the odd rodent for meat

- and a life expectancy of 25 years (that is shourt but don't worry, I doubt we could even count the passage of time).

"Specifically, I would suggest these people made a series of bad or unfortunate decisions, each one contributing to the downward slope. There have been an abundance of stories (possibly apocryphal) about homeless ones being ex stock brokers, ex lawyers, insurance agents, etc. The end result being a profound depression, where the homeless one decides he/she is basically where they 'deserve' to be."

Grim, no doubt some people fall into poverty after making bad decisions. I also think others do so due to serious personal weaknesses and others because they hit a large blockage and couldn't compete on level terms with the larger forces that were around them. I'm sure when you get right down to it, poverty occurs for a whole heap of different reasons.

Col Rouge, thank you for validating my points so comprehensively.
RobP, you're probably right. As David f. suggests, more research needs to be done.

Grim "Col Rouge, thank you for validating my points so comprehensively."

Hardly.. I argued your point is total garbage and it is.

You espouse the jaded perceptions of what could only be called a "life failure".

If you have the courage to make proper debate ....

I look forward to you bringing it all on

by demonstrating where what I wrote is in error.

However, if you want to just pee into the wind...

and have a little whine about all the people who have made more of their opportunities and their life than you....

Then I wish that what you spray be returned

A thousand fold

My sincere apologies, Col Rouge; for some reason I was under the impression you were quite successful.
If you haven't really been the success you wanted to be, of course you have my deepest sympathy. Cheers.

Living decently on a very low income needs extremely good budgeting skills, something which many poor people simply don't have.
Even for those who do the best they can, things are set up in a way to make managing very difficult.

For example - basic payments of rates, car registration, insurance etc attract a surcharge if not paid as a lump sum.
Essential medical equipment eg CPAP apparatus can cost $2500. Banks will not lend to those on pensions, although GE finance will at 27%.
Having no access to small loans for essential items at market rates is a definite contributor to low income struggle.