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Invoking Luck

Often these days, I hear people talk about luck. To have the good luck to be able to work from home, to still have a job, to be safe and well, to have friends and family who are likewise safe and well. The list is as long as the person's level of gratitude for their many privileges. As the pandemic's scale of devastation became evident over the weeks, the constant talk of luck turned a bit grating. 

My friend A told me about an all-hands meeting at her company where the CEO was trying to rally the troops and tell them customers were more available than ever for meetings and so they need to all do their part to win mind-share now, dollars will follow when the situation improves. The troops were obliquely reminded they were lucky to be working for a company that had the resources to hunker down and ride this one out.

By invoking luck as the prime mover, it seemed like we were collectively glossing over problems that we lacked the will to solve. Luck is akin to winning some natural lottery that absolves us of responsibility - even that of being lucky. Ofcourse we are not guilty of being beneficiary of random happenstance. 

With all that being said, those that proclaim to be lucky give themselves a pass to move. It is likely that this luck we speak of could be quite fleeting. As the waves of devastation sweep through society, it could well peel off the protective coating of luck. What then? Would the formerly lucky have more sympathy for those who had never been or will there still be a division. Emily Dickinson had a very different view of luck that would be worth pondering over today

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