Dictionary.com defines luck as "the force that seems to operate for good or ill in a person's life, as in shaping circumstances, events, or opportunities."
Merriam-Webster.com defines luck as "a force that brings good fortune or adversity; the events or circumstances that operate for or against an individual."
MacmillianDictionary.com defines luck as "success that you have by chance and not because of anything that you do."
OxfordDictionaries.com defines luck as "success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one’s own actions."
Except for the Merriam-Webster definition, each source seems to phrase it in such a way that dismisses the concept of luck. Dictionary.com emphasizes that luck is a force that seems to operate... Macmillian's phrasing is decidedly negative, not because of.... And Oxford uses the word apparently in such a way that suggests luck is a myth.
Personally, I allow for the idea that luck can influence the smaller things in our lives. Your bag of cereal ripped, making your breakfast fall all over the floor? That is rotten luck! As for the bigger stuff, however, I believe that there is some greater force at work. I am not suggesting that God or Fate has a hand in these matters (though if that is what you believe, more power to you!). I have come to believe that we each have a part in the major things. If I want to be a famous writer some day, I am not going to wait for luck to come around and make it so. I am going to work my butt off towards my goal and, when I achieve it, it will be because of hard work and dedication instead of by chance. Even the big things that seem like luck are a combination of individual choices. The wreck that destroys your rear bumper? It may not have been because of a conscious choice you made, but the combination of choices that you and the other driver made led to that point.
Now, what is your viewpoint on luck? Does it influence your life?
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