A FICKLE FECKLESS MISTRESS?
‘Luck be a lady tonight’ croons Frank Sinatra as I write this.
Not by chance – I am listening to ‘Guys and Dolls’ – one of my all-time
favorite musicals. So lady luck is no lady, I think, more the ‘fickle mistress’
who may ‘leave her escort’, ‘flirt with strangers’ or ‘wander all over the
room’ as Sinatra seems to think. Of course, he was singing during a crap game
which he desperately wanted to win and continued to woo her while he rolled the
dice. We all know what the outcome of that particular game was. No need to go
into details here. I briefly wonder why luck is portrayed as a lady – maybe
because she is fickle, restless, irrational and impulsive, and the feminist in
me briefly wonders why all these attributes can’t equally apply to men. I
abandon that line of thought – much has been said and written about deifying
women in all ancient religions and cultures and concentrate on the topic on
hand.
I remember participating in a debate long ago – the topic was a
line from a poem by Emily Dickinson: “Luck is not chance
It's toil
Fortune's expensive smile
Is earned”
I remember speaking against the topic and the debate being an
exciting one. I no longer remember what I said or who finally won. Probably the
team speaking for the motion. I would have remembered if we had won. It is easy
to understand why I remember this – the debate about luck and chance and
fortune versus toil, effort, preparedness, intelligence, ability and all the
other qualities indispensable for success. Is there actually anything called
luck, or good fortune or chance that plays a decisive role in our lives or are
we the sole ‘master(s) of (our) fates’? Do we always reap what we sow or do
some actually get windfall gains?
‘Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity’ said the
Roman philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca, a Roman Stoic philosopher (4 BC –
65AD). In fact, this train of thought has been largely dominant in Europe where
philosophers, religious leaders and thinkers stressed the importance of toil
and effort. Humans are the sole architects of their destinies; consequences are
direct results of conscious or unconscious choices that may be right or wrong,
rational or irrational, propitious or inopportune. The concept of endeavor
seems to be central in all cultures and societies, like the idea of ‘Karma’ which
is fundamental in Hinduism, Buddhism or Jainism. ‘कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन’
was Sri Krishna’s advice to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukhestra – which
roughly translates as ‘You have the right to perform your
actions, but you are not entitled to the fruits of the actions.’ In other
words, whatever the end results, we need to perform our duties. Work, toil,
endeavor, achieve, conquer – these are some of the key words that have governed
human society since time immemorial. Nothing else seems to be important for us
to succeed.
“Shallow men believe in luck or in circumstance. Strong men
believe in cause and effect.” said Ralph Waldo Emerson, echoing the opinions
and beliefs which govern our societies even today. So then, how did the
expressions like ‘good luck’, ‘bonne chance’, ‘buena suerte’, ‘Viel Glück’ etc.
become part of our daily vocabulary, in almost all languages in the world? How
did ‘luck’ sneak into a system that formally negates everything other than work
and toil? The word ‘Luck’ made a late entrance into the English vocabulary at
the end of the Middle Ages, replacing the older word ‘speed’. ‘Godspeed’ is
still used as a word of farewell, especially to those embarking on a journey or
a new endeavor. At what point of time did luck become something to reckon with?
Webster’s dictionary defines luck as ‘a purposeless, unpredictable and
uncontrollable force that shapes events favorably or unfavorably for an
individual, group or cause’. Whether acknowledged or not, mankind has been
conscious about this vaguely supernatural force from a very early date. The
Roman goddess Fortuna, the Greek goddess Tyche, the Egyptian goddess Renenet, the
Indian goddess Lakhsmi – all of them ancient, all of them representing luck or
fortune, have been venerated by humans since the beginning of civilization.
What is interesting is that in these religions, and probably in a lot of other
ancient religions, they are all depicted as fickle, restless, and capricious.
Rather like Lady Luck in Sinatra’s song. Then why does Webster include the word
‘purposeless’ for defining luck? Because of his upbringing? – He was, after all, a pastor’s son. I suppose
we’ll never know.
I chanced upon a saying attributed to Ovid while preparing to
write this article: “Luck affects everything. Let your hook always be cast; in
the stream where you least expect it there will be a fish”. A very interesting
point of view, in my opinion, that nicely combines the concept of chance and
effort. The hook needs indeed be cast to harvest what luck or chance or fortune
offers at any moment – this is in fact ‘preparedness’ meeting ‘opportunity’ (Seneca),
combined with the intangible, and often unexplainable factor that offers this opportunity
to some and not to others. I am a firm believer in luck. How else can one
explain people winning lotteries, getting six numbers right, where the
probability of winning is often in the epsilon neighborhood? Statisticians
would describe them as a random phenomenon which can’t be explained fully. How does
one explain the narrow escapes people have from accidents, fires or natural
catastrophes because of some unprecedented problems or delays? Or for the
victims of accidents or crimes because they found themselves in the wrong place
at the wrong time? Is there a rational explanation for chance encounters that
change our lives for better or for worse? Can anyone honestly say that luck –
good or bad- has never played an important role in their lives? I think not.
Like Francois de La Rochefoucauld, I too believe that ‘though nature be ever so
generous, yet can she not make a hero alone. Fortune must contribute her part
too; and till both concur, the work cannot be perfected’. I think all of us
have experienced that particular moment that we seized or did not seize, that
remain etched in our memory because of the consequence. Have we not used the
words ‘If only’ thousands of times in our lives? Haven’t we bought lottery
tickets or participated in a lucky draw or placed our bet on something? And
though such things are often done in a relatively lighthearted way with no
major consequences in our lives – we still do it.
This brings us to the subject of those who have this passionate
faith in luck and go to great lengths to keep the capricious force on their
side. They woo lady luck with lucky charms – wearing a talisman around the
neck, a ring with a specific stone on the fingers, a horse shoe on the top of
the door, a four leaf clover, an Ashtamangala…A
large number of acts, often qualified as superstitions, are performed by us
automatically with the purpose of keeping bad luck at bay. There is an
onslaught on buying lottery tickets if the draw falls on a Friday the 13th
– even occasional buyers crowd the newsagents to buy a ticket; ‘just on the
outside chance’ they say jokingly. But is it really a joke? I have my doubts.
I believe in luck, but I do not believe in luck alone. Fortune
favors the bold, the industrious, and the entrepreneur – there can be no doubt
about that. “Come what may, all bad fortune is to be conquered by endurance”
said Virgil. “If fortune favors you do not be elated; if she frowns do not
despond” said the Roman poet and rhetorician Ausonius. All very wise words and
I think most of us go through life with a more or less balanced combination of
endeavor and hope. I think we shall continue to believe in luck, lucky breaks,
and lucky chances, in the kind smile of fortune bestowed on us from time to
time. Because that is hope and without hope life would indeed be bleak.
Good luck to all of you.
‘May the odds be ever in your favor! ‘
[APARAJITA SEN]
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