How many channels does a person have for acquiring resources
The first type is authorized.
You go out to work as a programmer. On your first paycheck, what does the salary line say? Position salary. Is that money really for you? No. That money is for the position itself. It’s given to the C engineer, or the Java engineer—whatever role it is, whoever sits in it gets it. You get paid because you occupy that position. Anyone else who takes that seat will receive the same pay.
The second type comes from your own capabilities.
Suppose you’re a self-employed person making pancakes at a stall. They’re genuinely delicious, and you don’t need anyone to grant you a title to earn money. Because they’re actually good, people want them, and when the queue grows long, you gain power. You can put up a notice: “Limited to 300 portions per day, sales stop when they’re gone.” The next morning, people line up right at dawn, following the boundary you’ve drawn.
Your abilities have spatial and temporal limits.
How many pancakes can you make? 300? 500? There’s always a ceiling. Can you make pancakes 24 hours a day? Even if you could, there are only 24 hours in a day.
Back when Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang were locked in stalemate, Sima Yi told his subordinates: “Zhuge Liang may be uniquely powerful for his era, but he’s not on the same dimension as Liu Bei. Zhuge Liang’s strength lies in himself—and no matter how strong an individual is, he can’t become Ultraman. He still has only 24 hours a day, and his lifespan is finite. If the Wei army simply stays behind their walls and grinds him down, as Zhuge Liang eats less while overworking himself, his life will eventually run out, and Wei will win without even having to fight.”
But Liu Bei was different. Though personally less capable than Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei had charisma. As long as Liu Bei lived, people believed the Han dynasty wasn’t over yet, and a steady stream of Zhuge Liangs might come to join Shu Han—meaning the balance between Wei and Shu could still be tipped.
The third type comes from your influence.