If you’re lucky enough to have good looks,
Lucky enough to know a good cook.
If you’re lucky enough to have loving parents,
Lucky enough to pay a cheap rent.
If you’re lucky enough to get top grades,
Lucky enough to be self-made.
If you’re lucky enough to be a good speller,
Lucky enough to write a bestseller.
If you're lucky enough to win a few bets,
Lucky enough to have a safety net.
If you're lucky enough to take a few risks,
Lucky enough not to fall off a cliff.
If you’re lucky enough to have a hit song,
Lucky enough never to be wrong.
If you’re lucky enough to have nice neighbours,
Lucky enough they do you nice favours.
If you’re lucky enough to have lots of money,
Lucky enough be earn a big salary.
If you’re lucky enough to have a warm home,
Lucky enough to own a smart phone.
If you’re lucky enough to breathe clean air,
Lucky enough not to live in despair.
If you’re lucky enough to live in peace.
Lucky enough to get a good night's sleep.
If you’re lucky enough to have good genes,
Lucky enough to drink water that’s clean.
Lucky enough to get your fair share,
So lucky you don't know that luck is even there.
4 comments:
The last stanza of the song is very telling. The role of luck in having basic good things in life. A thinking song. Good rhythm, good voice, but at times the music competes with the singing.
The older I get, the more luck (good and bad) appears to me to play an important role in life. I wonder how a person of religious faith sees the role of luck? Do they make room for it, and if so why would God permit such arbitrariness? Wouldn't it mitigate against 'God's Plan'? The notion that everything is meant to be (which would by definition not align with luck).
I love this song. Very catchy, and a great message! Regarding your comment, I believe that God deliberately programs randomness into the universe. Indeed, I think it's His greatest achievement, how He delicately balances randomness with His "plan". There is definitely a place for luck in Judaism (why do you think we are always saying "mazel tov"?), and part of the profound gratitude that we show to God is a recognition of how lucky we are, to be alive, to be healthy, to have what we have and who we have. Just like in your song. We are lucky to have been born and lived in this time in history (notwithstanding Mr. Trump), and not 500 years ago or 90 years ago.
Delighted you enjoyed it. On the question of luck: can randomness be programmed? Wouldn’t that constitute a contradiction in terms? According to AI anyway, when something is ‘programmed’ meaning it follows a certain set of instructions, it cannot be truly random. However, the introduction of entropy would create randomness, and would ensure that outcomes are truly unpredictable. So that the scientific explanation. Now for the Jewish one that my work colleague coincidentally (not randomly) shared with me just last week. He said we wish each other mazel tov because MaZaL stands for Makom, Zman, and Laasot. It’s not actually about luck. It’s that Hashem provides us with the first two, space and time, which we have no control over but are eternal constructs, and we provide the last component, action based on free will. In other words, we have the power to make our own luck. Frankly, that’s a sweet explanation, and entirely unsatisfying cause it kind of skirts the issue.
Post a Comment