>the myth of lazinessIf anything, there is a myth of "hard work" as a singular trait that a person has or doesn't have. And then "laziness" is described as contrast to that.
So is "hard work" a singular trait? Quite the opposite; there are numerous aspects of work that make it more or less good, helpful, interesting, and otherwise valuable to the person and to others. The work may be fast, or may be energy efficient. The work may be very precise, or may span huge scales. The work may be incredibly complex, or may have been simplified to surprising degree. It may be artsy, or may be highly professional. All those, and much, much more, can add to & improve utility of the work. Skill, education, proper time & place, those too aren't singular aspects, nor stem from singular events in life or singular traits of the person. Every aspect of work is built up from from, frankly, the whole life history of the person. You cannot separate, say, having good education from being in the right place at the right time, but also from having good contact with the right people (your peers that help you out); from being able to communicate well but also letting others talk when proper. And so much more. Trying to distill education - or any other aspect really - down to "got lucky at this junction in time" is just disingenuous.
Moreover, closer investigation of examples of "good luck" reveals that often it is result of others - particularly parents, family, friends - putting in considerable effort to help the person through life. Creating educational opportunity or connecting with other people. Good physical development via nutrition and exercise, just as well as fostering curiosity and ethics. Passing on experience or helping choose best fit career path. There's nothing shameful about having been helped by friends and family - if anything, it's both natural and praiseworthy. And those positive behaviors are likely to be passed along to subsequent generations, thus progressing humanity in the longer run.
>no amount of hard work can turn a 6 foot tall person into a 7-footer.
Have you ever wondered how many players under 6 feet had good professional careers in NBA? You would be surprised [1].
There is a myth of "hard work" as a singular thing, while, in fact, a work is good for the person and others for any number of reasons. And, conversely, "laziness" is lacking in several departments at once to the point that there's few people helped by the "lazy" person's actions.
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[1] https://www.ranker.com/list/shortest-nba-players-of-all-time...