Evan Sayet once said, “We did not steal cable from the Sudanese. When they were hacking a million heads off every day, one of them was probably the cable guy.”
Meritocracy is a group of people whose advancement is based on ability, skill and talent rather than on class, race, religion, privilege, culture, gender, relation or wealth. Meritocracy does not fill quotas or implement affirmative action. In principle; Meritocracy is pragmatic. In political service it is unbiased. In healthcare it is generous. In music it is harmonic. Meritocracy is not entirely based on competition; it strategically places talents and skills to complete. When you question what is a meritocracy; study the orchestra because it is the purest demonstration of a meritocratic system. In a different meritocratic system, the V formation of migrating birds sets another example worthy of exploration. Perhaps a good question is, “how do we apply the meritocratic system to government, healthcare, education, social sciences, military, jurisprudence and personal identity to lift is all up?”
Is Meritocracy racist? No, Low Expectations is the highest and most destructive form of racism. Isn’t social welfare a good thing: altruistic? It is a good thing in moderation and by choice. It is also known as charity. It morphs into a destructive mode when the welfare is limited to merely sustaining an existence withholding what is necessary to thrive.
Kakistocracy (ka kuh Sto cra cy) is a system of government that is run by the the worst, least qualified, and or most unscrupulous citizens. It is where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the member of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers.
We should be thinking in terms of Affordable Excellence in everything we do.
The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal. Aristotle
Is the second chair equal to the first chair? Are all composers equal in their style, technique, and skill? Is my violin as well made and seasoned as yours? In the organic material there exist unequal measures. In manufactured goods, you can achieve equal in the sense of identical measure. It is unnatural to be equal because we are organic beings. The term identical is wrongly perceived when using the word equal. Equality is not the same thing as identical. Identical destroys the unique element of individuals. Equality in an inorganic environment that prevents the opportunity to mature.
What is equal? Our existence is equal in nature and consciousness.
Will I be left out if I am not talented, skilled or smart enough if only the best rise?
As the builders say, the larger stones do not lie well without the lesser. Plato
For an example: A young man who is a mobile mechanic feels out of place because his father-in-law is a successful attorney. One morning his father in law has to be in court and his car will not start. At that moment the young car mechanic was the most important man in the lawyers’ life, the lawyer was the most important man to the defendant relying on him to be in court to represent his case. The mechanic got the car started and realized his own importance in being able to do his job well, being available and prepared t do the job. Plato had it right 2500 hundred years ago. The larger stones do not lie well without the lesser. It is about placement and completion.
Why Meritocracy?
Meritocracy allows the best to lead and by doing so they lift everyone else. Everyone has the opportunity to lead.
I have heard bad things about Meritocracy.
Meritocracy has had to struggle against many obstacles coming from the kakistocracy populace. One is the testing is unfair. Why don’t we look at the tests before we come to that conclusion. Maybe they are correct. The failure lies in the testing itself and not the merit based accounting of knowledge, talent, imagination, and skills. Sometimes testing should not result in and end all of a grade. But rather answers should be examined for the thought process, how wide and deep the thought might be. Meritocracy is accused of creating the oppressor and victim relationship. When using the Vformation there exist no constant leader. The participants all take turns leading and sharing. By having shared (not identical) experiences they can decide what defines merit for their purposes and needs.
Where does Meritocracy exist?
In professions: Sports, Music, Arts, Engineering, Entrepreneurship, Jurisprudence, Education, Healthcare, Early Development, Personal Happiness, Human Relationships and Freedom.
Where do I go to see a Meritocracy in action?
Singapore and the life of Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. Yew applied it to the development of Singapore from a third world existence transforming it into a first world status without the aid of natural resources. Because Singapore quickly became a destination for surrounding countries it became a city-state with not enough land for accommodations for the increasing influx of residents. That changed the dynamics once again. When the meritocratic system was first applied it almost eradicated poverty; as Singapore ran out of places to build the properties escalated in value to unaffordable rates causing poverty to return.
What do you mean by Avenue?
av·e·nue/ˈavəˌn(y)o͞o/noun
- a broad road in a town or city, typically having trees at regular intervals along its sides. “tree-lined avenues surround the hotel”
- a way of approaching a problem or making progress toward something, “three possible avenues of research suggested themselves”
- a way of access : route.
- a channel for pursuing a desired object avenues of communication.
mer·i·toc·ra·cy/ˌmerəˈtäkrəsē/Learn to pronouncenoun
- government or the holding of power by people selected on the basis of their ability “progress towards meritocracy was slow”
- a society governed by meritocracy. plural noun: meritocracies “Britain is a meritocracy, and everyone with skill and imagination may aspire to reach the highest level”
- a ruling or influential class of educated or skilled people “the relentless advance of the meritocracy”
Meritocracy Avenue is the exploration of ways to best serve one another with a righteous and compassionate mind. Less authoritative and more towards encouraging discovery and possibilities in a child like wonder. Unlearning all the wrong things we learned is a great start to being compassionate. It requires listening to one another.
Meritocracy in the Workplace – In a meritocracy, great leadership is not about having great ideas, it is about ensuring the best ideas emerge.
Click here to learn more about: Achieving Meritocracy in the Workplace (mit.edu)
Click here to learn more about: The benefits of organizational meritocracy – Talent Works International (talent-works.com)
Click here to learn more about: We Can’t Debate ‘Meritocracy’ When Our Education System Stifles So Much Merit (forbes.com) – But we don’t know what a system that incorporated cognitive science might accomplish, because we’ve never tried it. Would it create complete equality between rich and poor? Probably not. Would it uncover massive amounts of now-hidden “merit” in children from less educated, less affluent families? Judging from the evidence we have from the few schools that have bucked educational orthodoxy, the answer is a resounding “yes.”