Don, you miss my point. Your diligence and ability did not lead to material success. The diligence and ability of your children has I think given them more success. What is the difference? I hesitate to suggest that they are more able than you were, it might or might not be luck, but most probably the difference is that at the key times for you society was more stratified, whereas at the key times for your children social mobility was encouraged.

That sort of mobility is under attack from our current rulers.