Very long weekend. Lots of time to read. And mull over life.
Nassim Taleb in his book "Fooled By Randomness" talks about the human tendency to credit our own talent and hard-work for our Success, and the tendency to blame the external environment (school/unfairness/ parents/bosses etc) for our Failures. He believes the role of luck is not given due importance by most of us - in fact he goes on to prove that Luck (rather than mere talent) is one of the critical ingredients that shapes a person's destiny - the right turning taken purely by chance in a small fork in the road can be a turning point in one's life.
Luck is never given its due. My 9th standard English teacher (Mrs. Rukmani who alas is no more) used to dwell on it at length while discussing the famous "Elegy written in a country churchyard" written by the poet Thomas Gray where he says:
Full many a gem of the purest ray serene
the dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear.
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
and waste its sweetness on the desert air.
That poem had a marked impact on me - which is why decades later I can still recollect every word of that poem.
I think we should be all thankful to God for whatever luck he has put in our paths in order to make us the people we are today - whether it be in our families, relationships and careers. I for one fully acknowledge the role Luck has played in my life, and am really grateful for it. And for the lots of very talented individuals who believe that they have not had the luck breaks yet : I hope and pray that very soon they will get the lucky breaks they deserve.
Nassim Taleb in his book "Fooled By Randomness" talks about the human tendency to credit our own talent and hard-work for our Success, and the tendency to blame the external environment (school/unfairness/ parents/bosses etc) for our Failures. He believes the role of luck is not given due importance by most of us - in fact he goes on to prove that Luck (rather than mere talent) is one of the critical ingredients that shapes a person's destiny - the right turning taken purely by chance in a small fork in the road can be a turning point in one's life.
Luck is never given its due. My 9th standard English teacher (Mrs. Rukmani who alas is no more) used to dwell on it at length while discussing the famous "Elegy written in a country churchyard" written by the poet Thomas Gray where he says:
Full many a gem of the purest ray serene
the dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear.
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
and waste its sweetness on the desert air.
That poem had a marked impact on me - which is why decades later I can still recollect every word of that poem.
I think we should be all thankful to God for whatever luck he has put in our paths in order to make us the people we are today - whether it be in our families, relationships and careers. I for one fully acknowledge the role Luck has played in my life, and am really grateful for it. And for the lots of very talented individuals who believe that they have not had the luck breaks yet : I hope and pray that very soon they will get the lucky breaks they deserve.
4 comments:
I feel lucky too. Lucky to be born and alive to this day.
Well said, Manu - you are so right.
I have become the new follower of your blog! Something which I or anyone can relate to their life...!
You have immense talent in putting your experiences and incidents with expression and feelings on immense subjects, with ease.
What a pleasure to read the Elegy after eons! Nice one!
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