Those of us born in the United States may take for granted the context into which we were born. While far from a perfect system, the personal freedoms guaranteed in the US Constitution (especially the Bill of Rights) provide for a system in which the individual is empowered to mark a course and pursue his or her dreams. Not only in the USA, but in other countries as well, there is a reality of upward mobility.

The US Constitution

What is Upward Mobility?

Upward mobility is the ability to change and improve one’s social status. Historically much of the world’s population seemed fated to remain in the social circle into which they were born. If you were a prince or a pauper, so you would remain throughout your life. In many nations today, this is still the case. In societies like the USA, western democracies, and other countries with favorable laws and economic systems, a person can move from pauper to prince (so to speak) through education, hard work, creativity, entrepreneurship, the generosity of others, or pure luck (i.e. lottery).

The Coin has a Flip Side

In such a society, however, there is also the reality of downward mobility. For a variety of reasons a person can move from prince to pauper. Perhaps the CEO’s daughter gets addicted to drugs and squanders her advantage. The millionaire’s son was never required to develop the same traits that made Mom and Dad so successful and through laziness or incompetence wasted the money and the company.

Upward Mobility & Forward Story

The recent and current events in the middle east have caused me to think about what life must be like for individuals in those societies. The people of Tunisia and Egypt have demanded governmental change from monarchies/dictatorships to something (yet to be determined) closer to a democracy. As of this writing Libyans are rising up and paying the price to make a change from their longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi. He is using military force to try to cling to power. Why would Libyans be willing to die in order to change their government? One reason is that in their current system they have few personal freedoms and very little opportunity to change their lots in life. There is very little social mobility either up or down.

You will notice that there are some people in Libya that do not want regime change. They are willing to kill their fellow countrymen in order to prevent a change. Why? They are the ones currently enjoying the largess of the government. They are at the top. For those at the top and in power, social mobility is not a desired outcome. There is really nowhere for them to go but down.

How does all this relate to Forward Story? Individuals who are rising up in Libya and elsewhere are doing so because their Forward Stories under the current regimes and social systems are very negative. As they see other countries with laws favorable to individuals and as they yearn for their own pursuit of happiness, they develop Forward Stories that are possible only with regime change.

What Does This Mean for You?

If you are in a country where there is very little opportunity for upward social mobility, your choices are difficult. I wish I had some smooth path to recommend for you. Stay true to your vision of the future. I wish you courage and safety. If you live in a country where there is social mobility, count your blessings and take advantage of your opportunities. Realize that just as you can move up, you can also move down. Chart your course through the careful development of your Forward Story, and work your plan to create the kind of life you desire. Do not allow excuses to hold you back from achieving your ambition. A lot of brave and wise people gave a lot so you could have this opportunity.

Don’t let them down. Don’t let yourself down.