Luck
“There is no such thing as luck. People determine their own life”. Do you agree?
When one is born or raised in Singapore, most cannot help but agree with Thomas Jefferson who said, “I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” This is due to the limitless opportunities that can be found in this meritocratic country. However, I do not concur with him as I believe that it is with luck, which gives one the opportunities to be born in a meritocratic country, or to be able to move to such a country. Without being lucky enough to be in a meritocratic and non-corrupted environment, one would be unable to sprout his or her talent or even find a sustainable job. Therefore, I disagree that there is no such thing as luck.
It is undisputable that we have no power over where and when we are born. We could be born into a low income family in India or a wealthy one in Brunei and with that, our life is already somewhat determined. It may seem like a pessimistic view, that a person who is born poor has less opportunities in life, especially when there are endless stories of people who started from the bottom and got to the top through hard work and sheer determination. Some examples would be Oprah Winfrey, Jim Carrey, Tom Cruise and Leonardo Di Caprio. However, what all these people have in common is that they are all born in a country where there are trees with opportunities waiting to be plucked. If they were born into countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, who have been suffering from extreme poverty for decades, for example, things would be very different. In such countries, there is almost no chance for the poor to breakthrough their predestined poverty unless they are able to receive external help and this too, relies on their luck. Luck determines whether one is born into a country where opportunities are waiting for them, or whether one is able to receive external help.
Many people are born with an area which they excel in. Some are
When one is born or raised in Singapore, most cannot help but agree with Thomas Jefferson who said, “I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” This is due to the limitless opportunities that can be found in this meritocratic country. However, I do not concur with him as I believe that it is with luck, which gives one the opportunities to be born in a meritocratic country, or to be able to move to such a country. Without being lucky enough to be in a meritocratic and non-corrupted environment, one would be unable to sprout his or her talent or even find a sustainable job. Therefore, I disagree that there is no such thing as luck.
It is undisputable that we have no power over where and when we are born. We could be born into a low income family in India or a wealthy one in Brunei and with that, our life is already somewhat determined. It may seem like a pessimistic view, that a person who is born poor has less opportunities in life, especially when there are endless stories of people who started from the bottom and got to the top through hard work and sheer determination. Some examples would be Oprah Winfrey, Jim Carrey, Tom Cruise and Leonardo Di Caprio. However, what all these people have in common is that they are all born in a country where there are trees with opportunities waiting to be plucked. If they were born into countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, who have been suffering from extreme poverty for decades, for example, things would be very different. In such countries, there is almost no chance for the poor to breakthrough their predestined poverty unless they are able to receive external help and this too, relies on their luck. Luck determines whether one is born into a country where opportunities are waiting for them, or whether one is able to receive external help.
Many people are born with an area which they excel in. Some are