Are you lucky?

[metadigital]

Well anyway, you could say it was lucky for me that I saw this thread, and got to vent a little.

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Just imagine, for a moment, that you were born in some small African country, where the local Christian and Muslim representatives are trying to outdo each other in their race to the bottom to win over the lowest common denominator of the uneducated population by denigrating homosexuals and advocating their punishment by abuse, dismemberment, ostracization and even death. Feeling a little bit luckier, now?

[Lucius]

Yeah, as I said, I (and many of us) can consider ourselves lucky not to be born into anything like that. It is, of course, sad that quite many are.

[kumquatq3]

I'm lucky

[Blank]

I believe God has intervened in my life a few times, like when I could've died. Although, I wouldn't have minded leaving this wonderful world.

 

One thing that I think is interesting is how eastern thinking seems more prone to attributing things to "destiny". Or am I totally wrong?

[Musopticon?]

I don't mean to go all selfpity on you peope, but I could have done with a better neighborhood. Maybe I wouldn't been bullied for almost a decade then. Maybe I wouldn't be so socially secluded and semi-shy right now. I mean, heck my friends are awesome and not only some folks I met on teh nets, but I could really have done with some real life. Now I just sit here and hope for a change. Oh well, it's probably just me, I don't really believe in luck.

 

Lucius, does this mean you feelings for me were always real?

[WinterSun]

Dude, you're like the Finnish me!

[Baley]

Metal erodes social sentience.

[Musopticon?]

I dunno, I was pretty quasi-social before I bought Finntroll's Jaktens Tid around 2003.

[metadigital]

POST HOC, ERGO PROPTER HOC

 

It's a correlation, not causation.

[Lucius]

I don't mean to go all selfpity on you peope, but I could have done with a better neighborhood. Maybe I wouldn't been bullied for almost a decade then. Maybe I wouldn't be so socially secluded and semi-shy right now. I mean, heck my friends are awesome and not only some folks I met on teh nets, but I could really have done with some real life. Now I just sit here and hope for a change. Oh well, it's probably just me, I don't really believe in luck.

 

Lucius, does this mean you feelings for me were always real?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, it's all wub here dude.

[Daaave]

While I often say "That was lucky" to express "wow, you beat the odds" or whatever, I do not actually believe in luck.

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Same here.

[Diamond]

I believe in statistics.

[astr0creep]

I believe in balance.

 

If one is incredibly lucky for one day, one will be incredibly unlucky another day. Or a bit unlucky for many days until the equivalent of the good luck has been matched with bad luck.

[metadigital]

That's just the statitical law of averages, not luck.

 

And how do you rationalize those poor people born under egregious circumstances in countries where life expectancy is diminished by their lack of health and continual wars, versus someone born into a Royal Family, say?

[astr0creep]

That's just the statitical law of averages, not luck.

 

And how do you rationalize those poor people born under egregious circumstances in countries where life expectancy is diminished by their lack of health and continual wars, versus someone born into a Royal Family, say?

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Life expectancy is around 40-50 years of age. After that you are kept alive by doctors and pharmaceutical companies. Mostly. With exceptions. No?

 

The poor countries are in that state mostly because of the west, who exploit and destroy the environment, polluting the water and making them sick, limiting ressources and territories causing wars. It's actually more complicated then that but in a nutshell, this is how it is I think.

 

Luck is relative to the type of existence methinks.

Example: For me, being lucky would be getting a raise this week, with a counter-balance of bad luck on something like my TV suddenly giving up on life(I'm relatively poor and getting a new TV would take some time...).

For a child living in the "crappiest" of crap holes in Africa, being lucky could be finding an old tire to play with, followed by the bad luck of stepping on a rusty metal spike hidden in the sand.

 

Are we all unlucky of not being God?

 

Meh

[Nartwak]

[Rosbjerg]

while I follow your thought patterns astr0creep .. wouldn't you consider it extremely lucky just being born in "The West" opposed to a 3rd world country?

I mean is it the same amount of luck when you get a raise (= filthy rich compared to 80% of the planet) as when a poor child finds a tire? I would consider you a hell of a lot luckier..

[kumquatq3]

While I often say "That was lucky" to express "wow, you beat the odds" or whatever, I do not actually believe in luck.

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Same here.

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ditto

 

 

I do have crazy lucky on little things tho.

[astr0creep]

while I follow your thought patterns astr0creep .. wouldn't you consider it extremely lucky just being born in "The West" opposed to a 3rd world country?

I mean is it the same amount of luck when you get a raise (= filthy rich compared to 80% of the planet) as when a poor child finds a tire? I would consider you a hell of a lot luckier..

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Do people in 3rd world countries walk around moping at their bad luck?

[alanschu]

No luck for me! There was an amazing hot dancer in the Dominican Republic named Tamica that performed in the theater shows. She was far too talented and hot that even the guys in drunken stupors wouldn't ask her to dance. I had finally worked up the nerve, but I really had to go to the bathroom. So I quickly ducked out to go to the bathroom, and when I returned, I saw her leaving out the door.

 

Opportunity missed! Argh!

 

 

 

EDIT: AstroCreep, an interesting observation while in the Dominican Republic is that the people seemed to be, on the whole, much happier and friendlier than back home. And they are certainly not a rich country.

Edited April 18, 2006 by alanschu

[kumquatq3]

Do people in 3rd world countries walk around moping at their bad luck?

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::Thinks of Afganistan, Earthquake ravenged areas of Pakistan and Sudan::

 

I think their to busy trying to stay alive to kick cans and bitch, but yes.

[Fenghuang]

Bad luck today. My car drifted off the dirt road I live on and hit the embankment. The embankment along this section of the road consists of granite boulders. Front left corner is all bent in and the driver's side door now pops and screeches when you open and close it.

 

On the bright side I looked over it after checking to make sure it's still driving okay, and the engine compartment is untouched as well as the suspension and wheel well. The bumper and the fender absorbed all the damage while leaving the rest of the car untouched and it was a piece of junk in the first place.

[astr0creep]

EDIT:  AstroCreep, an interesting observation while in the Dominican Republic is that the people seemed to be, on the whole, much happier and friendlier than back home.  And they are certainly not a rich country.

 

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That was going to be my next point.

I lived for over 6 months in Indonesia, West Timor, in the late 80s. I travelled frequently on many of the islands and one thing that was both constant and surprising for a westerner like me was seeing how truly happy these "poor" people were.

I would've given an arm to feel as happy as they seem to be.

Luck, riches and happyness are very relative things imo.

[astr0creep]

Do people in 3rd world countries walk around moping at their bad luck?

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::Thinks of Afganistan, Earthquake ravenged areas of Pakistan and Sudan::

 

I think their to busy trying to stay alive to kick cans and bitch, but yes.

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Would it be any different if such a powerful earthquake would hit a major city in a "developped" country? Would we feel just as unlucky as they do or would we feel more unlucky, or less?

[kumquatq3]

During Katrina people complained because they didn't get help for days.

 

People couldn't get a tent to ward of the winter in Pakistan