Everyone has bad luck. Basically, if you are still alive, you are having bad luck. But is it luck? In other words, is it merely the workings of the accidental happenings of this thing and that thing bouncing randomly off of one another, or is it something else?
Who among us does not have trouble in their lives at one time or another? If you have ever had a hope or an aspiration you know that they do not come without difficulty. There seems to be a force, or a 'dark side' if you will, that goes around getting in people's way whenever they try to accomplish something. Some people call it luck, some call it fate, some call it opposition and some call it a pain in the...neck. Whatever you call it, it seems no one can escape it. Trouble comes into the life of every being. The question is, what is there to do about it?
I have known people who are convinced that life is against them, personally. In the words of the old “Hee Haw” song: “If it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all.” I have to admit that some of the days of my life have felt like that. There were days a few years back when I was morning sick until I wanted to die, had a two year old that would wander down the street when I wasn't looking, a four year old that was having trouble making it all the way to the bathroom, a husband who was out of town on a business trip, a laundry room that seemed a million miles away because I was too big and uncomfortable to tackle the stairs and a sister living with me who needed 24 hour care. Then, there were the days when my husband was out of work, the cow died, the neighbors were threatening to do bodily harm if we came near them, the IRS was threatening to put us in jail and the mortgage company was threatening to foreclose.
In the movie, “The Lord of the Rings”, based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien, the wizard, Gandalf is talking to Frodo, the Hobbit. Frodo is lamenting all the 'bad luck' he'd been having, all the trouble that he seemed to be attracting and all the suffering, the difficulty and needless heartache he seemed to be bringing upon his friends. Frodo, in despair, says to Gandalf, "I wish none of this had happened." Gandalf wisely replies, "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.”
When I heard those words, “There are other forces at work...” I realized that he was talking about the constant battle between the two opposing forces that seem to be at work in this world. Most people call it luck if they are on the receiving end of one or the other of these forces. Good luck meaning, I have what I need and want most of the time, bad luck meaning I am getting thwarted at every turn.
Thomas Edison had a dream; a goal. He wanted to make lighting easier and cheaper for the average family. Tirelessly, day after day, he failed to create the thing he was after. Each attempt was met with new opposition. Hundreds of times he failed in his endeavor. Fate seemed against him. Finally, his lab even burned to the ground. For most people, that would have spelled the end of the dream. But Thomas Edison knew something that most of us never even imagine. He knew what Gandalf knew and what everyone knows who has ever fought a losing battle and won. He knew that failure is the prerequisite to success, that opposition is merely an opportunity for a miracle, that 'there are more forces at work than the will if evil' and that when you set out to accomplish anything, or even just to live in this world, you set in motion BOTH of those forces.
Frodo, eventually succeeds in his task, but not without the help of the evil Gollum, who is constantly trying to kill him. Without Gollum, Frodo would have failed. It was Gollum who finally forced Frodo to defeat the opposition. It's like I tell my children: “You can't get strong by lifting nothing.” “Failure is the best teacher.” and “Opposition is really an opportunity.” So, when opportunity knocks, pick up your dream (and your weapon) and open the door
No comments:
Post a Comment