What is luck? Is it even real? Well, based on basic science and the fact that we don’t live in the Marvel Universe, probably not. However, based on us as humans and how we perceive things, I would say that luck absolutely exists.
March 17 is synonymous with a widely celebrated holiday, one that in and of itself is synonymous with luck. It’s a holiday called St. Patrick’s Day. I won’t go into the details of what exactly St. Paddy’s Day is and where it comes from, but it’s thought to be the luckiest day of the year.
According to Celtic legend, Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, used a three-leaf clover, or shamrock, as part of his Christian teachings. Even though it’s possible for a shamrock to grow a fourth leaf, a four-leaf clover is just considered a symbol of good luck. Another legend says that Patrick chased all the snakes out of Ireland. The holiday is celebrated on the anniversary of his death.
However, a lot of these stories have since been myth busted. St. Patrick was indeed a real person, but there is no historical evidence that proves he really did these things.
As I said earlier, I believe that luck exists, just not in a four-leaf clover sense. While I think that it’s good to believe in fun stories like that, it’s just not scientifically feasible.
True luck, I believe, is entirely based on the quality of your life. It’s based on the people you surround yourself with and the life you live everyday.
Luck depends on the family you belong to. Families come about in all different kinds of ways, and as long as you can say you belong to one of them, blood or not, you are among the luckiest people on the planet.
Another sign of having good luck is whether or not you have a roof over your head and a full stomach. There are people all over this humongous planet who struggle with these things everyday, so next time you want to complain about your house not being big enough, remember that you really lucked out on that one. The same goes to everyone who has food and water everyday. There are so many people facing famine, and you should be extremely grateful you got this lucky.
In my humble opinion, good luck can also be identified by whether or not you have at least one good friend. You don’t need a lot. All you need in this world is one or two good people you can share a laugh with, and you’re already the luckiest person on the block.
You don’t need to win the lottery to be considered to have good luck! As long as you have just enough money to make it through the rough parts of life, you’re one lucky duck in my book. Even if it’s not a lot and you can only afford the essentials like groceries and rent, you’ll be alright.
A good education is another tell-tale sign of good luck. Whether it has been homeschooling, public or private, as long as you know how to cross your T’s and dot your I’s, you’re a very lucky person.
Do I believe that we’re really lucky? Yes, I do. I think that to be human is a gift that we were all given. A gift that makes everything just a little better. Luck isn’t just a construct that should be celebrated once a year. It’s an all-day, everyday thing that we should all be grateful for.
So, on this St. Patrick’s Day, leave the pot of gold for the leprechauns and the four-leaf clovers for the Earth, because I want us to celebrate how lucky we are to be human.
Nick Keller is an opinion writer. Contact him at [email protected].
