Luck vs Chance

Author Forward: I had planned on writing this thesis since I joined the Bards, and now at long last, it is here. It is dull drivel, and I would rather be cutting lumber or singing in Khorandain's tavern for some tips, but here I compile at my new desk and check another silly task off of my list.

Luck. What is it? Is it just chance?

Guesswork is a combination of calculated premeditation and blind chance. I have met a few that say nothing can truly be expected, and that everything may as well be random, but I find that does not represent reality. As far as we can tell, the cosmic clock, as it were, can be expected. So can the institution of Law. No amount of reality-bending magic can change Law if it is broken. Total chaos is when nothing can be expected. Think of a rampant dream, in which you cannot predict anything, lest you sleep lucidly which is no small feat.

I personally find more pleasure when on the cusp of knowing something than having perfect knowledge right away. There is still a hint of wonder and excitement in the hunt. Once you have it, what do you do with it? Just hand it out to someone else? Healthy risk makes the gain sweeter. As a student, I never retained anything that was given to me for free. You need a hint of that luck to really remember.

What we have then is a balancing act akin to a circus performance where on one side of the scale you have what can be expected, and on the other what cannot. Luck is not just chance. Luck is the residue of the well prepared. Luck favors the bold. Luck, then, seems to have preferences. It exists on the same coin that law and solid expectations are on.

Quite a tedious and exhausting tirade on a subject no one gives a damn about, I know, but this young woman must satisfy the silly urge of early years of study. Also, it pays homage to the parents.