Lately, I’ve been rather bothered by an idea: how is it that talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn’t? How can so many people be talented, spend their days laboring tirelessly away at a dream, and only a select few get a real chance to show it?

We’ve all heard the cliché phrase that “hard work trumps talent” or that “hard work always pays off”, but I think the number of people who can actually say those phrases are true isn’t large. There’s this famous quote from Angelina Jolie, from 2013, when she won the Jean Hershalt Humanitarian award that perfectly encapsulates this: “I have never understood why some people are lucky enough to be born with the chance that I had, to have this path in life, and why across the world there’s a woman just like me, with the same abilities and the same desires, the same work ethic and love for her family, who would most likely make better films and better speeches, only she sits in a refugee camp and she has no voice.” How is it fair that someone may work ten times as hard as someone else, and yet due to all the unpredictable factors of life, they don’t get to see the same light?

For example, think about sports. Someone could be extremely and naturally talented, but if they don’t have money for training, equipment, or competitions, what are they supposed to do? Just give up? Meanwhile, someone else might not even be as talented but has access to everything they need to improve and be seen. So who ends up succeeding?

I realize this piece is filled with rhetorical questions, which may seem repetitive at times. I wish I knew the answer to them, not just so I can ease my troubles, but so the rest of the world can as well. But I don’t understand. What separates me from a woman across the world, who struggles for a voice, and perhaps writes better than many authors today. Is success really just about effort, or is it also about a birth lottery? What if this woman never even got the chance to discover her ability to write, for she is far too occupied with surviving? She can’t “create her own opportunities”, like many people love to say. Because to create opportunities, we must live in a society that endorses creation and originality, and that is not always the case. 

In addition, I also question how we define success. Are we really seeing the most talented people succeed, or just the ones who had the most chances? Because those are not the same thing. 

However, I don’t think it’s completely hopeless. Change is always possible, if the right people are determined enough. Schools and communities can give more opportunities to people who don’t usually get them, but how many people get education?

Honestly, it’s bewildering to imagine how much hidden talent there is in the world — people who could’ve been amazing at something but never got the chance.

I’ve seen this in horseback riding, in my own life as a rider. Some riders are naturally talented, with great balance and connection with the horse, but they can’t afford regular lessons, competitions, or their own horse. Meanwhile, others have more resources and get noticed more easily. It made me realize that talent alone isn’t enough; opportunity plays a huge role in who actually succeeds.

So I guess my biggest question is: how many people are missing out, not because they aren’t talented, but just because no one ever gave them an opportunity? And most importantly, what are we going to do about it?

Image: Violet Trajtenberg