Writer's Block: I can walk under ladders

[lisamoe]

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Well, I don't really know what "luck" is exactly. Are some people born into more advantageous situations or born more beautiful or more healthy or whatever? Sure and that's something we call luck so of course I believe in the existance of that, though I don't think it's anything supernatural and I don't think it's the sort of luck they are talking about in this question.

As far as people who seem to be lucky in life beyond just the circumstances they were born into, I think it's random chance in some cases, (like winning a lottery) and in others it's people who keep their eyes out to take advantage when opportunities arise. My favorite quote is "Chance favors the prepared mind." (Louis Pasteur) I think that you can do a lot to make "luck" come about by manipulating your circumstances so that you're in a position to receive what looks like luck.

For example: many people have told me that I am "lucky" for having a mother who has been able to help take care of my children since they were born. I AM lucky that she is the sort of person who would do that, but the timing that allowed her to do that was not pure luck. I knew she was ready to retire, I knew she was likely to be amenable to taking care of them, and that figured into the timing of when I had children. So I'm lucky to be born into the family that I was, but had I had a different family or a different circumstance, I might not have had children at all or might have timed them differently. I didn't have children until I was 28 and in a position to be "lucky" in that way. I think that a lot of "luck" is planning ahead to be in the right place at the right time (see quote above.)

It goes without saying that I don't believe in good or bad luck being brought on by breaking mirrors, black cats, finding pennies, etc. I also don't, however, believe in luck brought about by thinking good thoughts or "manifesting positive energy" or whatever. I think your prepared mindset and your ACTIONS can bring about circumstances that are "lucky" for you (see quote above, lol) but the converse of "good things happen because I'm a good person" is that "bad things happen because I'm a bad person" and I'm not willing to believe that. I've seen many jerks have great success and virtuous people end up with awful stuff happening to them.

It's a fun thought that you can make your luck better by thinking nice things to the universe, but I'm not buying it, and I'm definitely not buying that anyone who had bad luck brought it on themselves by thinking negative thoughts to the universe. People may (or may not) have brought a lack of good "luck" by something they did or some failure to be open to opportunities or not planning to be in the right place at the right time, but random chance hits everyone sometimes, be it good or bad and I don't think it's necessarily attributable to anything about the person and their "luck."

Oh, and don't even get me started on the statistical distribution of rare events and how that looks like luck too, lol...

Comments

[msbyn.livejournal.com]

YAY! I so agree. I've fallen into the 'good things happen to good people trap before' and it was awful. I'm sad that it took me So long to be comfortable enough in my own skin that I was willing to take chances and not care what other people thought... but I"m glad that I did it at all, since a lot of people seem to be too afraid to try, or are always waiting for 'luck' to happen.

You're a genius:)

[eurydices11.livejournal.com]

I agree completely.

[seeaef.livejournal.com]

Funny, I have a disabled client who uses the word "lucky" in all the wrong ways. Such as, I got a new computer, that's lucky! Or, I lost 3 lbs, that's lucky! ...... drives me insane. What drives me more insane is trying to explain to him what the word lucky means which isn't easy. Maybe the Lucky Charms guy is the only one who knows what lucky means.