Opportunity Vs. Talent – Which is more important?

Tiger Woods is indisputably one of the greatest golfers of all time. He is obviously talented but, if his father had not taken him to the golf club before he was two, would he have realised his talent? What made him excel? Was it an inborn gift in him to play golf, or was it the opportunity that was availed to him at a young age to learn and practice?

Advocates for opportunity and talent both drive an equally convincing argument. Personally however, I think opportunity is more important than talent as I will explain shortly. Being the Layman that I am, I know I will have a hard time making some of you change your mind and admit that with opportunity, you can be anything you want to be.

Opportunity

My dictionary defines opportunity as a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something. If you are a child, your parents are responsible for providing ideal opportunities for you to excel in. If you are an adult, the responsibility moves from your parents to you and your government.

The Fallacy of Talent

Talent is defined as a natural aptitude or skill. When we say someone is talented, what we mean is that his ability to do something was not learnt. It was inborn. While it is tempting to follow this philosophy blindly, I tend to think it is not entirely accurate. I believe all of us are born with an empty mind into which any kind of learning can be fed. Even experts agree that very little of what makes us human is inborn. The only two examples I have of scientifically-proven inborn things are the fear of falling and loud noises. Everything else is acquired along the way. I therefore believe that talent is severely overrated.

It’s not about the gift but how well it is used

In many ways, talent is just an opportunity given to some people to pursue the learning of a particular skill. This then means that, without hard work, talent is a useless gift. It is just a wasted opportunity (pun fully intended). Going to a good school does not guarantee good grades and getting a good job does not guarantee effectiveness. An opportunity is only good to the extent that it is put into good use.

The Great Equalizer

Our generation is fighting for equality of all kinds. Women want equality with men. Marginalised communities and groups are seeking for equal rights with majority groups. There is an enhanced campaign to ensure that all children enjoy equal rights. The greatest equalizer however, is equal opportunities for everyone. If every single person in the country had equal opportunities with everyone else, there would be little injustice. Instead, there would be more people succeeding in their respective fields.

Passion

It is usually passion, not talent, which drives us to seek opportunities in particular areas. Passion and talent are often used interchangeably by many people. They are however not one and the same thing. Passion is an intense emotion, a compelling enthusiasm or desire for something. This means that, while talent is inherent, passion can be developed. All that is required to develop passion is opportunity.

Give a Man a Fish

Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie wrote in her novel, ‘Mrs. Dymond’ that, “if you give a man a fish he is hungry again in an hour. If you teach him to catch a fish you do him a good turn.” This proverb has been widely and variably quoted since then and I think it proves my point. It is all about providing people with the opportunities to do what they need to do or are passionate about.

P.S. Why is there a shortage of innovation in Kenya and yet there are heaps of well-researched but unutilised theses in all our institutions of higher learning? Just wondering!