Consider ‘Luck’

On a recent trip to a local store, the manager asked me to fill out a ticket for the drawing they were having for Mother’s Day. As I was filling it out, I stated casually that I am never lucky at such drawings or at lottery. She added, but you are lucky more than you know. If your car broke down irreparably, you could afford to go buy a new one.

I am not so sure that is my definition of ‘luck’ as I have worked extremely hard my entire life, saved, and drove cars way past their expiration dates. To me they are just means to get from point A to point B in a safe way. Yet she inadvertently made the point that ‘luck’ has a different meaning and definition for different people – some agree, and others disagree in their definition and interpretation of ‘luck.’

Luck is defined in the dictionary as a chance happening of fortunate or adverse events, prosperity, success, or one’s personal fate. But the dictionary definition of luck does not include the many-faceted interpretations of the word and concept as used in the 21st century.

Economically speaking, luck is seen as being born in wealth, sometimes generational, other times just parental wealth which will someday get passed on to their offspring. What they choose to do with this wealth is a different story.

Luck is being in the right place at the right time. Luck is being born with gifted genes which allow you to develop into success with less effort. Luck is hard work for some, with the reward of a better life because of it.

Luck is winning the lottery, sometimes multiple times. Luck is escaping near misses and staying alive. Luck is surviving a disaster when everyone else around it did not. Luck is surviving a disease and chemotherapy when others do not. Luck is not being buried by an avalanche or a volcanic eruption. Luck is escaping a devastating fire or numerous lightning strikes. Luck is escaping drowning and sharks when lost at sea for days and weeks.

Luck is being born healthy and having a strong genetic constitution. Luck is being born beautiful and athletic. Luck is having artistic, musical, scientific, and mathematical talent at an incredibly early age. Luck is surviving an airplane crash.  Luck is surviving alone at sea for days and weeks and being found alive.  Luck is surviving the Titanic disaster and making it out alive again after two subsequent ships sunk with the same survivor from the Titanic tragedy.

Luck is having unforeseen blessings in life – people, family, friends, faith, love, and other life-changing events.

Some think that luck is being able to achieve your dreams. Luck may be a variable in reaching one’s aspirations and dreams, but so are education, skill, dedication, determination, courage, and hard work.

Reza believes that luck is seizing opportunities presented equally – two immigrants have the same opportunities upon arrival in America, but one becomes a taxi driver and the other becomes an engineer.

Others believe that luck is where you are born, what family you grow up in, what town you grow up in, and the neighborhood surrounding you, i.e., Americans are lucky to be born here.

Joyce Q. thinks that the choices you make have a component of luck. You are also lucky if you have abundant food, thus food safety, clean water, hospitals, and a dependable and safe roof over your head.

Ozmarina believes that luck is represented by ancestors who determine what we do and whether we inherit good things or bad things in life. “The sins of the fathers follow until the third generation.”

Susan S. said that she has been lucky because she was blessed. “Everything in my life happened for a reason. I have had many troubling situations, but God has brought me through them. He put so many people in my life, and it has made all the difference.”

Ed Merkel quoted his retired Air Force veteran friend who used to say, “Lucky beats good every day of the week.” Merkel added, “When I worked, I used to tell my staff that ‘luck’ is not a strategy that will enable us to meet corporate objectives. At best, ‘luck’ is serendipitous. If the first five cards I am dealt contain 4 aces, it is the ‘luck of the draw.’ It probably would not happen again in 10,000 hands. Luck is nice when it occurs, but there is no substitute for knowledge, experience, and planning.”

People who escaped socialist/communist oppressive regimes consider themselves lucky to live in a capitalist society and do not understand the younger generations’ determined drive to replace capitalism with the repressive and regressive socialism.

Central Americans risk life and limb to trek to the United States, illegally across the southern border, to economic abundance and freedom from government subjugation and fear which they had lived under the socialist hellholes they were unlucky to had been born into.

The truth is, if you build something worth having, someone is going to try to take it away for themselves or for others who have not earned it. That is not ‘luck,’ of course, it is hard work on the part of the owner and confiscation on the part of those who did not earn it.

David C. believes that there is zero likelihood that such thing as luck exists. “Nothing happens by accident or by chance. People micro-manage the Author of the atom and e=mc² into so much less than He is.”

Luck is being born with a talent which takes little work to pursue and the talented do not have enough appreciation for the gift they were endowed with by their Creator.  They expect everyone to bow to their majesty. Others must labor for years to develop and market their God-given talent. And others squander the ‘luck’ or talent they were given and regret it in later life.

“Luck is a human perception of something that happened to them.” Luck is also perceived as the experience of something positive which occurred by random chance. The Romans consulted their soothsayer for their luck or misfortune. Wild predictions into the flight of birds and the shape of animal entrails were spun into one’s future events of luck or misfortune. Many believe that luck is elusive and that the present and the future are dependent on the luck of the draw and predestination. But ultimately, you are lucky to be born.