The Modern Tragedy of Success

According to Alain de Botton, our modern society's idea of success causes a lot of emotional distress for people who aren't millionaires and models. He says that in a society that says anybody can do anything - a "meritocracy" - is a source of low self-esteem across the board. If you're on top, you're on top because of your abilities and worth, but if you're on the bottom of society, you're on the bottom because you deserve to be on the bottom. He brings tragedy into the picture by saying that tragedy is good because, even though it traces the story of people's stark and utter failures, it accords the characters a level of sympathy that is missing from, say, the tabloids.