Page 270 - https://ia800806.us.archive.org/12/items/mwk-eng-book/Leading-a-Spiritual-Life.pdf

No Discrimination in Divine Blessing

to it, there is no equality in the divine scheme of birth,
meaning that some are born with special blessings while
others are not. This concept is totally wrong.
Blessings are based not on birthright but on
opportunity. Opportunity is the most important thing
in life. One who avails of opportunities becomes
successful, while one who fails to do so becomes a
failure. Success is the outcome of one’s own efforts. It
has nothing to do with birth.

Everyone is born on an equal basis. The most
appropriate saying would be: ‘Everyone is born with
the silver spoon of opportunity.’ There are many
people who are born into affluent circumstances and
have every advantage in life, but due to a combination
of apathy and incompetence, have become failures.
On the contrary, there are others born in straitened
circumstances who, thanks to their own efforts, have
emerged as super-achievers.
In fact, those who are born into abundance can
actually become deprived persons, because, where there
is abundance, there is no incentive to work and study
hard. Because of this lack of motivation, they make no
effort to go on and do better things. Sooner or later,
things begin to deteriorate and, in extreme cases,
one who has made no effort to enhance his existence
may ultimately find himself descending into poverty.
Those, on the other hand, who were born in deprived
circumstances, become strongly motivated by their
poverty to successfully change their lot in life.

Abundance erodes the good qualities in one’s

269