Robert A. Heinlein mentioned in his novel Have Space Suit-Will Travel that: 「there is no such thing as luck; there is only adequate or inadequate preparation to cope with a statistical universe.」 Heinlein’s words succinctly encapsulate his philosophy towards life, and modern society would no doubt, grudgingly or whole heartedly, agree. In fact, in the upbeat, ever changing and ever demanding world of today, where people are paid based on the responsibilities they hold, basing one’s existence on chance events entirely out of one’s control is clearly wishful thinking and foolish, to say at the least. At the end of the day, it is still up to the individual himself to make the most of the opportunities presented before him.
Luck suggests that a contingent opportunity is presented before an individual, promising him or her salvation, without any requisite effort or preparation. Such a notion carries a romantic appeal, replete in fables and fairy tales, where a damsel awaits a prophesized rescue, commonly by a knight in shining armor. Indeed, luck, according to such a definition, would mean if a person has the patience to wait and do nothing, goodness and reward will come retroactively. However, prudence and rationality dictate that such a notion as luck is wishful thinking and waiting in such a manner would be courting a slow death. A cartoon entitled 『Waiting for Dr.Godot』- a character who never comes- would show just how absurd such a notion as waiting for the riches to fall in one’s lap is.
Nonetheless, supposing that such a 『chance』 event occurs, considering the hypothetical situation of a man finding money unattended on the streets, money that might just buy him his next meal. Even if such a thing were to happen, it is still up to the man himself to make the choice of whether to pick up the money and to decide what to do with it. This means that people still hold the responsibility to determine and shape how their lives would be and bear the respective consequences. Even if a contingent situation were to present itself, it would still depend on the individual to take action, no matter how small it may seem, and make the most of the window of opportunity.
Another point that goes against the notion of luck would be the build-up of events leading to the supposedly 『chance』 opportunity. Indeed, even if the man were to have done nothing but just pick up the dollar note and benefit, someone’s gain is another’s loss- to have the money present on the street, it would have to involve another individual carelessly dropping the dollar, and that very act could have events leading up to it. The careless individual may have neglected to change his tattered wallet, permitting the note to fall out, or he may have been distracted by what is happening around him to notice it. Suffice to say, the careless individual has to drop his money before the enterprising individual can take it.
Speaking of a build-up of events, many occurrences in human history were not isolated or solely contingent events; for such monumental events, it generally involves someone or some entity capitalizing on the occurrences. Similarly, the occurrences would not have come to be without a similar chain of events leading up to it. Taking a revolution as an example, the socialist revolution in Russia did not succeed just because of the charismatic leadership of Lenin and his ilk, but also because of how the said leaders made use of the avenues and opportunities presented to them. Due to the ineptitude of Czar Nicholas II, there was widespread suffering and discontent amongst the majority working class of Russia. Such a factor permitted the revolutionaries to exploit the grievances of the people against an established, traditional entity in the Czarist monarchy, subsequently leading to a socialist victory. Indeed, revolution did not occur overnight, but rather it involved a great many things before it can take place, much less be successful. Lenin and his fellow socialists had to aggressively seize the opportunity when it was presented to them, taking the initiative and responsibility for the revolution.
In today’s modern society, with the growing emphasis on rationality and science to chart our futures and our lives, working on a basis of chance events would only spell disaster. World governments are well aware of that fact, and that countries like Singapore conduct much research and collection of statistical data about the nation so as to plan for the country’s future. Professionals are consulted to evaluate the data- such are the responsibilities of the policymakers in determining the fate of the country’s people that nothing is left to chance. Society today values systematic organization and stability; hinging on fickle chance events and acting on will or whim may appear antithetical to what society stands for today.
In conclusion, Heinlein’s words on a 『statistical universe』 and the need for 『preparation』 reflect the stances are currently and have to be taken to safeguard a society’s way of life. Even if luck, or divine providence according to the more pious, were to actually exist, modern society definitely does not subscribe to that belief. At the end of the day, it is up to the individual to work hard to make his dream a reality; it would be wishful thinking in pretending that an opportunity might just create itself.
Spelling List
1. Succinctly: state or say something in a concise/brief manner
2. Encapsulate: To summarize or condense
3. Contingent: dependent for existence, occurrence or conditional
4. Salvation: the act of saving or protecting from harm, risk, loss, destruction
5. Replete: abundantly supplied or provided; filled with
6. Retroactively: in a way that includes or refers to events that happened before the relevant rule, decision or other measure came into effect
7. Prudence: Exercising caution in actions especially with regard to practical matters
8. Capitalizing: to take advantage of; turn something to one’s advantage
9. Ineptitude: Incompetence
10. Antithetical: At odds with or directly opposed