There is a very small percentage of anything in a life experience that results from luck. Things that occur in a person’s life are almost often because of caused occurrences not happenstance.
Sure some people have good fortune and some have ill fortune that is beyond the control of either. We are in most all cases where we are in life because of yesterday’s choices and our action or inaction on them.
It is well know that a person who does not abuse drugs or become drug addicted and has treatment for mental illness if it exists is much better suited to maintain a reliable income that affords him the opportunity to provide housing for himself and a family.
Actually a lot of truth in that. Having a solid family unit is a great predictor of future outcomes, regardless of demographic. Another good predictor is based on graduating high school, staying out of jail, and not having kids out of wedlock. Those have nothing to do with luck…
If you don’t consider things like “right place and right time,” right parents, right neighborhood, good health, no car crashes, not a victim of crime, and living in the USA luck, you are correct
Doing stupid things or not doing the right things plays a huge role, but if you feel that you are solely responsible for your current station in life and required no help and zero luck, I think you are over-estimating your part in your good fortune.
While it’s comforting to bask in the glow of your own success, finding fault in others lack of it and denying any luck was involved in your own is probably tainted with a bit of self-satisfied pride.
Telling people, especially the young that their lot in life will be largely dictated by luck will often destroy self initiative that results in the destruction of self reliance. Why take risks of failure when things will either come to me through luck or they won’t? Of course if our goal is to create an ever growing state of dependency it is a great way to do it.
If life is a lottery then why don’t lottery officials publicize how many tickets were sold each game that weren’t winners?
Having good parents is not luck of the draw. Our parents themselves were at one time children and depending on what was enforced in their childhood will largely dictate what attitude they will have with self reliance and self initiative versus luck of the draw. Hence it becomes generational.