Luck and Work

This evening, we spent some quality time with our family, including some family members we don't see very often. We each helped prepare the food we ate. We each helped watch the kids and play with them. Basically, everyone contributed to everyone else's enjoyment of the evening, and as far as I know, everyone had a good time.

I'd say that we're lucky to have a family that's willing to come together and support each other, but it's not really luck, is it? Mom raised us to be decent, helpful people, and we all put in the effort to keep the family together. It's not just "lucky" that we're all willing to work together, it's us all collectively and individually deciding to put in the work. Sure, any one of us could be said to be lucky to have been born into such a family, but collectively, luck has nothing to do with it. We all choose to use our agency to put in the work to help the family.

I wonder how many other areas of life work the same way. We think some people are lucky if they're wealthy, but some people worked hard for that wealth. We consider a person lucky if they're healthy, and they certainly are, since unfortunate medical events can happen to anyone, but choosing to try to live healthily can help us avoid some medical issues and quickly overcome others. And of course, I'm lucky to have the opportunity to get an education, but I also chose to seek and avail myself of that opportunity, and I am choosing to apply myself in my classes instead of just sitting through them. My luck made it possible, but my diligence is making it happen.

Naturally, luck can still be a huge factor in people's lives, but it's not the only factor, and there are times when good or bad luck can be enhanced or overcome through diligence or the lack thereof. Good luck can be capitalized through our efforts or wasted through our laziness, and bad luck can be overcome through our diligence or exacerbated through our slothfulness. Luck can have an influence on us, but our choices can minimize or maximize that influence for bad or for good.

So, even setting aside the blessings granted to the righteous and the curses applied to the wicked, it makes sense not to chalk everything up to luck. Our decisions also affect our outcomes and the courses of our lives. So, yes, I was lucky to have been born into a supportive family, but it's supportive because we choose to put in the work necessary to support each other.