What Education Competitions Are Actually About

When resources are scarce, it comes down to who can accumulate the most. Once resources are abundant, it's about who is the most diligent. When both resources and diligence are maxed out, then it's about who has more natural talent. Raising talent is no different from raising pigs: you start by piling on the food, offering unlimited supply, and seeing which pig eats most voraciously. If provisions aren't the issue and appetite isn't the issue, then it all comes down to digestive capacity—what people call the natural ability to gain weight. For most people, the single most important factor is simply having access to enough provisions.

The people you surround a child with will shape what they're most likely to become. This holds true in school—and even more so in the workplace.