A lot of
etymology has been hitting me often nowadays. One such word was 'Serendipity'.
It was surprising to know that the origin of the word was from Sri Lanka. Also I got to know that this is an 'onomatopoeic' word i.e. the formation or
use of words such as buzz or murmur that
imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to. Other
such words as I understand are splash , spray
, sprinkle , drizzle and many
more. It seems the word was invented by the writer and politician Horace Walpole
in 1754 as an allusion to an old name for Sri Lanka. Walpole explained to one of his main correspondents that he had
based the word on the title of a fairy tale, the heroes of which ‘were always making discoveries, by
accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of ’. Incidentally,
the original Persian name for Sri Lanka (and in earlier times Ceylon) was a
corruption of the Sanskrit word, Sinhaladvipa which as we all know literally meant ‘the island
where lions dwell’.
Etymology apart, I am sure there have been tons of debates on this subject (mine is just one more), but I am presuming that the we as a society have not deep dived into this as we have done with other similar topics , for e.g. say atheism. Here I am just trying to figure out some answers for some common queries in the ensuing paragraphs. (Pardon my sophisticated language. I use words like 'ensuing paragraphs' in the memos that I write at workplace and it just keeps coming here too.)
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| There are times when you feel you have no luck.Is it actually disguised envy ? |
For the benefit of purists , as against what the title says , I actually want to talk about luck. Dictionary wise , I know there is hell a lot of difference between plain luck and serendipity. Since the word is used only in the dictionary, it is difficult for us to define serendipity. As I understand it, it is a situation of 'fortune' which 'accidentally' happens when you are actually looking for something else.That is important. 'To look for something else'. And hence, for you to be lucky serendipitous, you have to first 'look for something'. Yes. If you aren't looking for anything at all in the first place, and still you get something, then is it luck ?. It should not be.
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| Is Luck the difference between your no work vs other's hard work ? |
This brings me to the million dollar question as to whether something in the lines of 'luck' actually exists ? Or is it just an illusion ? Whatever it may be, for the layman like me, the words 'luck', 'serendipity', 'fortune' all mean the same thing and all means luck. I was in my final year of my college and nearing 20 when I first got a real shocker in terms of 'luck'. For the first time in my life, I heard someone say 'I do not believe in luck'. I did not how to react, and hence my mind mechanically decided to release the familiar and the most used emotion of mine called anger. There was rage sweeping across me. How could someone not believe in luck ? I just could not understand this. Isn't luck so very apparent everywhere ? How could someone not appreciate it ? I could understand the lack of faith in the almighty but luck , I was just not (ready) for it.
The argument was plain simple. "If you say you believe in luck , you are in reality projecting your envy by a word called luck". At that age, I was probably not open to such interpretations. Now I find logic in that argument of his, though not completely. My version is , one could still be in awe (not envious) of a person, even though he or she believes that person is lucky. Why not ?
Looking at luck from the perspective of sports. You are the batsman and a normally very good slip fielder in the opposition drops a lollypop of a catch of yours. What will you call this situation as ? I will and certainly everyone will call it luck. I also have this nonsensic logic that, if you are a batsman, you will appreciate what luck is. -( This is just my random thought and has never been tested.)
Suppose you are a big fan of someone, and despite desperate attempts to meet he/she , you have not been able to. However in a random flight, you find that person seated next to you. Aren't you simply plain lucky ??How can the 'no luck' notion fit here. ? (Enakku indha maadiri questions ellam varudhu)
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| Attributing Dhoni's sucess to plain luck alone is atrocious |
Being lucky as I see it is when those '50-50' moments go your way. Take for example the Midas touch man, Mr. Dhoni. He has been at the receiving end of so many accolades but deep down everybody feels he has done nothing different from his predecessors but he has been lucky. I do admit certainly that in this case the word 'luck' is cruel. Its just one word , but it degrades all that skill and humongous efforts that this man has put. To an extended extent, its very true. Very unfair on the man, is it not ?
If you ask me, there is only one way (the Kamal Hassan way) to answer the million dollar question - "Do you believe in luck ?" . The answer - " I am not saying I believe in luck , but I would like to believe there exists no luck.! :P"
