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Comment by MCRed | Hacker News Reader

That's true, but at least in the USA-- where I've worked with two people who were in poverty when we met-- you can turn your life around. In my experience, with hard work on their part and a little bit of guidance it took them about 2-3 years to get into well paying (e.g.: well above minimum wage) jobs.

The biggest thing inhibiting them before we worked together was growing up in a situation that seemed hopeless to the point where they couldn't see the path or the opportunity that was there for them.

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I suspect that both of them where working age, sane, healthy, without major addictions, reasonably intelligent, and had an acceptably clean background. Remove some or all of the above and even low levels of success become far less likely.

That said, a friend of mine got a middle class job despite health issues, addiction, and with a somewhat shady past it's just much harder. However, he also had a fairly strong network to fall back on when things where tough which helps.

One person lacked two of those factors, the other lacked one.

In both cases they perceived those, and other factors as making the possibility of success unlikely.

I managed to convince them otherwise, because in part, I have a similar background, and because they saw results.

Congratulations. That's a tough place to be. There is a huge gap between being broke and being poor. And working yourself out of poverty takes a little luck and a lot of effort.

Information is also a very valuable resource. Having you as a connection may have been the difference between continuing a life of poverty and getting out of poverty. I have the same natural advantages today that I had when I was 20, but at 20 I knew far less. If I knew then what I know now, with the same skills and effort, I would've gone 10 times further.

I suspect that's what Jack Ma is trying to do here. I think he's trying to help people see a path.

Well in that case, they were lucky to have you as a resource. Please don't think I'm saying hard work isn't important, but it definitely is not the only factor in succeeding.

I agree. I was trying to say that what was obvious to me were things they didn't think of.

That part of the problem is that people get conditioned to see their horizon as narrow.

It cost me nothing to help these people (Really, I did give them loans and stuff like that over time, but the real help was not money.)

Unfortunately, our society is focused on the welfare system, but the welfare system never illuminated the path for these people.

Of course, this is based on my experience so it's anecdote.

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