In a recent commencement speech at University of Houston, Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed that he hates being called a self-made man. Is the self-made man a myth?
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Who doesn’t love a rags to riches story? Or get inspired by the journey of someone who made it against all the odds, all by themselves? We put a lot of value on self-reliance and idolise those who we consider self-made.
And yet, when you think about it, the self-made man is a myth. None of us can make it on our own. And claiming that we overcame every hurdle, took brave decisions that were astoundingly timely and achieved success, all by ourselves is dishonest. It is also disrespectful - to all the people who helped us along the way.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a commencement speech at the University of Houston, underscored this point recently. In a speech that was both humorous and insightful, he reminded the graduating students that while they had every reason to be proud of their hard work and accomplishment, they should not forget that many other people had a role in their success:
“On your diplomas, there will be only one name on it and and it's yours. But I hope that doesn’t confuse you. And that you think that maybe you made it that far yourself. No you didn’t. It took a lot of help. None of us can make it alone.”
Schwarzenegger told the audience that stories about him having decided one day to take up weightlifting and bodybuilding, and training for 5 hours a day to eventually become the youngest Mr Universe, while true were only half true. He could not have achieved the success he did, without luck, inspiration and support from a large number of people - parents, friends, fellow athletes, coaches, mentors, sponsors…
“I always tell people that you can call me anything you want, ...but don’t ever ever call me a self-made man. I didn’t make it that far on my own, and to accept that credit or mantle, would discount every single person that helped me get here today”
This is not to say that people should not work on being self reliant or on shaping their own future. Taking responsibility for our lives, taking initiative and working hard in pursuit of our aspired future is our duty. After all, as most wisdom traditions say, “God helps those who help themselves”
However, it would be good to remember that even the greatest bodybuilder of all times and the “Terminator who went back in time and saved the human race” did not make it on his own.
