Pull Oneself Up By One’s Bootstraps
An ignorant phrase uttered by idiots
The idea that someone can/should “pull oneself up by one’s bootstraps” can be farcical if truly analyzed. Captain Pike recently said, “There’s more to serving Starfleet than just individual excellence — our ability to work together. That’s our greatest strength”. The greatest societies have always had that in common.
Having personal strength and ability can only get you so far. There is always a limit as to where you can go on your own. How far could you go if you had to make your own road or build your own car from nothing but raw materials?
One person alone can’t build a starship, they need the abilities and talents of many to do so. Same goes for raising a functioning adult. That child can not be raised by a single person effectively. Sure the rudimentary functions will be there but there will be serious gaps in the child’s social education. Especially when it comes to societal expectations.
We are the average of the 5 people we associate with.
If you hang with five millionaires, you’ll become the sixth. If you immerse yourself in a kitchen, you’ll soon be a cook or chef. It’s common knowledge that environment plays a crucial role in our development.
The community that we engage in regularly contributes to what we will ultimately become. So where does the popular phrase of “pull oneself up by one’s bootstraps” fit into what is commonly known about society’s role in development.
One could argue that phrase was something said as an easy way out of helping someone in real need. In a utopian society (we’re a long way off), someone would not be able to fall. Ironically those who like to profess this phrase often site how community and the family structure have collapsed and that’s the reason society has gone to shit.
From the beginning of their raising, society would weave them in so they could never unravel. All the interpersonal connections holding them would be placed under strain and if things were right, those people’s connections would help carry the load.
A separation from the weave starts at the beginning of the loom and the if allowed to continue, there are those who never make it into the tapestry.
There is no such thing as a self-made man, it takes actual community connection and cooperation to build and maintain great societies. When one of us falls, it’s because they were never woven in completely. Telling someone to pull oneself up by one’s bootstraps is a copout, and those who say it are truly ignorant of how societies function.
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