The World is a Malleable Place

Things are what you make them to be

The world doesn’t lack talent, the world lacks high-agency talent.

Daniel in the Lions Den by Briton Riviere, 1892

My mother has always been a social butterfly. She’s excellent at establishing good rapport, building new connections, and making others feel proud and important. I don’t mean that in a job-interview sense (although these are certainly assets to have in such situation), I mean that whenever we go out to eat, we always receive extra portions on the house. When we visit the spa, we’re always blessed with secret discounts. When we get brunch at the local cafe, we’re always greeted by familiar faces with warm smiles that seem to say ‘welcome back.’

Growing up, I just assumed that we were lucky, or that people were just friendly.

Now, zooming out of the details, what I can confidently conclude is that my mother is just good at getting what she wants. Everything is negotiable. Minds can be changed. Ask for what you want and actively change what you don’t like. She sees everybody as…