Today we discuss the philosophical chestnut, is it better to be lucky than good?
It almost goes without saying that being both lucky and good would be the ultimate pairing. Alas, such perfection mostly remains elusive in life.
Truth be told, there also are some on the other end of this, being neither lucky nor good.
And yet most of us, as is often the case, reside somewhere in the middle. We’re good at times, lucky at others.
Still, we must consider whether apparent luck merely is the fruit of effort.
There is a quote often attributed to the Roman philosopher Seneca: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
Branch Rickey, the late, great baseball general manager, massaged this into “Luck is the residue of design.”
Many others have picked up on this theme, often observing the harder they work, the luckier they get.
We are obliged to concede luck and effort often are intertwined.
Consider the ongoing example of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Good at times, pathetic at others, and blessed with a very easy schedule, the Steelers have yo-yoed their way to season’s end still alive in the playoff chance.
Cynics would observe the entire team is due for a group appointment with the proctologist, the better to have the horseshoes removed from their rectums.
Said horseshoes – luck – help account for how so many items have fallen into place despite the Steelers trying to kill their playoff chances late in the season with back-to-back losses to pathetic Arizona and New England teams.
Other teams – the right teams – have collapsed. Injuries and poor play have combined to crack open the window of opportunity for the Steelers, who have done their part by rediscovering offensive football and winning some games.
The Steelers make the playoffs if they beat Baltimore this weekend and either Buffalo or Jacksonville lose their games. There are other possibilities that involve ties, or not ties, but these are the basic options.
On the face of it, it could be argued the Steelers are unlucky in needing to beat powerful Baltimore in the final game. But how lucky the Steelers are that Baltimore already has the top seed clinched in the AFC and so will sit numerous players, including their runaway leader to be the league’s MVP in quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Simply put, even the Ravens who do play will be more interested in avoiding injury than giving 100 percent to win this meaningless game.
This is a break for the Steelers and to deny this luck, albeit as the residue of the Ravens’ hard work, is to deny reality.
The Steelers still might not win the game, but the circumstances have led the people who do this for a living to install the Steelers as betting favorites, despite their inferior record.
Winning won’t be enough for the Steelers, but in this so-far bewildering NFL season, I wouldn’t like to bet the house on both Buffalo and Jacksonville winning their games.
If, as expected, the Steelers win and Buffalo or Jacksonville loses, that proctologist appointment will be put off a least a week as the horseshoes will be needed for playoff action.
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