Forget white privilege. Nevermind racism, sexism, and bigotry. There’s no such thing as homophobia, and I’ve never seen ageism. I’ve no interest in #metoo, and all lives matter.

All of it is nonsense. It’s noise. Excuses.

Life is so easy when we group people together and make up reasons why entire swaths of society just can’t seem to get ahead. Blacks can’t get a fair shake. Women don’t stand a chance. Gays are in hiding. It’s getting so even white males aren’t safe anymore.

Just stop already. I reject all of it.

It’s just you. And whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish. That’s it. If you want something – a job, a raise, a good grade, admission into that school, a spot on the team, a place among friends, whatever – you have to figure out the path,  your path, to achieving that and then follow it.

Everything you do in life is going to succeed or fail, in part, because of those around you. And you’ll never know what’s going on in their hearts.

You’re black, and you didn’t get that job. Obviously, racism. But is it? How many people applied? Did one of them have a friend in the company? Was the person they hired better qualified? A better culture fit? Hungrier? More creative? More reliable? Younger? Older? More willing to do anything?

You can sit around and use one of the above excuses for the rest of your life and never move forward. Or, you can rise up to whatever challenge faces you – YOU – not people like you. Not people who want you in their victimhood. You.

You can either make excuses and say that you couldn’t overcome some imagined bias, or you can learn from every experience, be persistent as hell, and keep going until you get what you want. You can be relentless, or you can stand and march, arm-in-arm, with the rest of those who are too disaffected to keep trying.

Leave the balls and chains behind. It’s you, and what you want to achieve. Figure out the obstacles and move them. Figure out the path and follow it.

You can do anything, unless you stack the imaginary deck against yourself.

Leave the marches, protests, causes, hashtags, and special interest groups behind. You will succeed or fail based on you, your effort, and a million circumstances that are out of everyone’s control.

Just be persistent, and all will be well.