“You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from.”
Cormac Mccarthy
Lucky To Be Alive
I’m pretty sure anyone reading this is lucky to be alive. After all, we survived the pandemic of 2020 together. Not to mention all the other stuff that can befall us humans like angry dictators dropping bombs on our heads, careless drivers, acts of terror, felonious assaults, random lightening strikes, a sinking ferry, and so on.
And let’s not forget our ancestors who survived the saber tooth tigers and poisonous snakes (in the early days), tribal warfare, famine, and so on… any of which could have terminated your existence before it began.
And for me, even some of the work I’ve done. Out of high school I went to work installing water and sewer mains. My friend Keith died when a ditch collapsed and he was buried alive. (Could have been me.) And later on I worked on the rail road which can be hazardous . Not to mention all the stupid shit I’ve pulled during my life and so on.
My younger brother Patrick, was on the front end of this coal train (early 1980s) when it came off the tracks while passing the container train. (Same main line I worked 100s of times.) Several pair of underwear were irreparably damaged during this accident, and fortunately everyone involved survived this one.
The Importance Of Realizing Luck
I think if more people realized we are all quite lucky to be here, the world would be a nicer place. For instance if the dictator realized he/she wasn’t put on the earth to rape, pillage and plunder, but is simply a lucky s.o.b. just like the rest of us, they wouldn’t be such assholes. Same with terrorists. Maybe if they realized we all breathe the same air, have the same hopes (of survival), same dreams it would take some of the steam out of their vendetta regardless of which god they serve Allah, Jehovah and so on.
Then there is the regular “Old Joe” like me. Remembering I’m lucky (rather than entitled) keeps me humble and makes me a nicer guy (most of the time).
Speaking Of Luck
Here are a few (12) images you can scroll through that I was lucky to make recently. Thanks for dropping by.
Mike
