The Mystery That Rules Our Lives
Luck is one of the few forces in life that touches everyone—rich or poor, powerful or powerless, young or old. It can lift a person from obscurity to greatness, or strip everything away in an instant. It can make the difference between success and failure, between life and death. And yet, for something so significant, it remains frustratingly elusive.
Ask a hundred people to define luck, and you’ll get a hundred different answers.
To some, luck is a cosmic force, a mystical current running beneath the surface of reality, shaping destinies in ways we cannot see or control. These are the people who believe in fate, in divine intervention, in unseen hands nudging events toward their inevitable conclusion. They speak of lucky stars, guardian angels, and the idea that “everything happens for a reason.”
Others take a more rational view, seeing luck as nothing more than randomness in action—the cold, impersonal mathematics of probability playing out over time. To them, luck is simply a word humans use to describe events that feel extraordinary but are, in reality, just statistical outliers. The same laws of chance that apply to rolling dice or flipping a coin apply to life itself.
And then there are those who believe that luck is not random at all, but earned—a reflection of one’s actions, choices, and energy. This is the essence of karma, the belief that fortune is simply the universe balancing the scales of justice. Do good, and you will eventually be rewarded; act selfishly, and bad luck will find its way to you.
A Force Beyond Our Control, or Something We Create?
Despite these wildly different interpretations, one thing is undeniable: luck plays a role in every life.
It determines who gets the big break and who watches their dreams slip away. It decides who happens to be in the right place at the right time, and who finds themselves in the wrong place at the worst possible moment.
The job candidate who lands a dream position because they happened to meet the right person at a networking event.
The tourist who decides at the last second to switch hotels, unknowingly avoiding a disaster.
The struggling artist who finally gets their work noticed because someone famous stumbles across it by chance.
There are moments in life when things simply line up, as if the universe itself is conspiring to push us in a certain direction. And then there are the moments when everything collapses, despite our best efforts—when bad luck feels like a relentless force, a tide that cannot be turned.
This leads to a critical question:
If Luck Is So Important, Why Do We Know So Little About It?
For all our scientific advancements, for all the studies dedicated to probability, psychology, and behavioral science, luck remains an enigma.
We study success. We analyze hard work. We break down strategies, habits, and mental models. But what about luck? Why do some people seem to attract it effortlessly while others can never seem to catch a break? Is it simply a matter of mindset? Are lucky people just more observant, more open to opportunities? Or is there something deeper, something real, that shapes our fortune in ways we still don’t understand?
This book is an exploration of those questions. It is an attempt to decode luck—not as a vague superstition, but as something tangible, something that can be studied, understood, and perhaps even influenced.
Because if luck is more than just randomness, if there are patterns, behaviors, and mental shifts that can increase its presence in our lives, then understanding it might be one of the most valuable things we ever do.
And so, we begin.
A Story of Two Lives
Imagine two people, born on the same day, in the same city, to families of similar backgrounds. Their childhoods unfold in near-parallel—same schools, same playgrounds, same small-town struggles. But as they grow older, their paths begin to diverge in ways that neither of them could have predicted.
David’s Rainstorm
David had always been an average student, neither exceptional nor failing, and like many teenagers, he wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted to do with his life. One autumn afternoon, as he walked home from school, the sky suddenly darkened, and a heavy rain began to fall. With no umbrella and no shelter in sight, he sprinted for the nearest open doorway—a small, tucked-away coffee shop he had never noticed before.
Inside, as he shook the water from his clothes, he found himself standing next to an older man who was reading a business journal. The man looked up, laughed at the weather, and made a passing comment about how unprepared they both were. David, feeling a little awkward but polite, struck up a conversation.
It turned out that the man was a retired entrepreneur, someone who had built and sold companies in industries David had never even heard of. They spoke for an hour—David asking questions, the man offering insights. By the end of the conversation, the man handed David a business card and said, “You seem like a sharp kid. I need a part-time assistant. If you’re interested, give me a call.”
David hesitated at first. He wasn’t particularly ambitious, and the idea of working after school seemed like a hassle. But something about the conversation felt like an opportunity, and on a whim, he made the call.
That one decision, that one random encounter in a rainstorm, set off a chain of events that would define his future. He took the part-time job, which led to new skills, new connections, and eventually, his own business. Years later, when people asked him about his success, he would always tell them about the day it all started—the moment he stepped into that coffee shop.
James’ Rainstorm
On the other side of town, James was also caught in the same sudden downpour. Unlike David, James didn’t duck into a shop—he was closer to home and decided to make a run for it. But as he sprinted across the slick pavement, his foot caught the edge of a curb, and he slipped hard, landing on his ankle with a sharp crack.
Pain shot through his leg. A fracture.
James spent the next three months on crutches, unable to participate in sports, unable to take part in after-school activities, and missing out on social events that might have shaped his future differently. There was no coffee shop conversation, no unexpected mentorship—just a frustrating period of being stuck inside, waiting to heal.
Had he been unlucky?
Most people would say yes. A simple twist of fate, a minor misstep, and suddenly, his life took a different course.
But what if the accident had never happened? Would he have had his own version of David’s opportunity? Could he have stumbled into a similar defining moment? And more importantly—could James have done something to create his own luck?
Luck in Different Cultures: A Force, A Formula, or an Illusion?
Luck has existed as a concept in every society, but not every culture sees it in the same way. Some view it as a cosmic force beyond human control, while others see it as something that can be cultivated or manipulated. These different interpretations shape how people think about opportunity, success, and failure.
In the West, we often think of luck as something random—you either have it or you don’t. But other cultures have developed entirely different perspectives.
Luck as Chaos: The Roman Wheel of Fortune
The ancient Romans believed that luck was controlled by Fortuna, the goddess of fortune and fate. She was often depicted standing next to a massive, turning wheel—the Rota Fortunae—symbolizing the unpredictable nature of luck.
One day, you could be at the top of the wheel—wealthy, powerful, favored by the gods. The next, the wheel could turn, and you could lose everything.
The Romans saw luck as something wild and uncontrollable, something that no amount of hard work or intelligence could fully conquer. Even the mightiest emperors feared Fortuna, because her wheel never stopped spinning.
This philosophy had a profound effect on Roman culture. It taught people to be humble in victory and resilient in defeat, knowing that luck could shift at any moment.
Luck as Balance: The Chinese Concept of ‘Fu’
In Chinese culture, luck is not seen as purely random. Instead, it is part of a broader system of balance and harmony. The concept of Fu (福), meaning good fortune, is tied to how well a person aligns with the natural forces of the universe.
Luck, in this view, is something that can be enhanced or diminished based on how a person lives their life. If you follow the right practices—through discipline, respect, and an awareness of energy flow—you can attract good fortune. This belief is reflected in feng shui, the practice of arranging one’s environment to maximize positive energy and minimize misfortune.
Unlike the Romans, who saw luck as a random spinning wheel, the Chinese saw it as something that could be influenced through action.
Luck as a Reflection of Actions: Hindu Karma
In Hinduism, luck is often seen as a direct result of karma—the principle that your actions, good or bad, determine your fortune. Unlike the Western idea of luck as something that “just happens,” karma suggests that luck is earned over time.
If someone experiences a stroke of good luck, it is because they have built up positive karma. If misfortune strikes, it may be the universe balancing past wrongs.
This perspective removes randomness from the equation. It suggests that luck is not luck at all, but rather a natural consequence of past actions, whether from this life or a previous one.
Luck as Probability: The Modern Western Perspective
With the rise of science, mathematics, and statistical modeling, the Western world has largely discarded the idea of luck as a divine force, replacing it with the cold precision of probability and randomness.
If an event is unlikely but still happens, it is not a blessing or a curse—it is simply an outlier on the probability curve. If you flip a coin ten times and land on heads every single time, it may seem incredibly lucky, but from a mathematical standpoint, it is just one possible sequence in a long series of potential outcomes.
This shift in understanding has changed how modern societies view everything from gambling to business, from personal success to global events.
A person who wins the lottery is not special—they just happened to buy the right ticket at the right time. A pilot who survives a plane crash was not miraculously saved by fate—they were simply on the right side of statistical survival rates. A company that goes from a garage startup to a billion-dollar empire may have been driven by hard work and intelligence, but they also benefited from timing, market conditions, and circumstances outside of their control.
According to this view, luck is nothing more than a numbers game.
The problem?
Even in the most rational, data-driven societies, people don’t actually behave as if luck is random.
The Illogical Persistence of Superstition in a Rational World
If modern science has taught us that luck is just probability, then why do people still cling to rituals, charms, and beliefs in fate?
- Athletes wear the same pair of socks every game because they believe it helps them win.
- Gamblers at casinos develop personal systems for choosing numbers, even though every outcome is purely random.
- Students bring a lucky pen to an exam, even though their knowledge—not the pen—determines their score.
- People knock on wood after saying something optimistic, as if the universe might punish them for overconfidence.
Logically, none of these behaviors should matter. But people still do them, often unconsciously, because of something powerful: experience.
Science tells us that luck is random. Experience tells us it matters.
People remember the moments when a small, seemingly meaningless action resulted in a lucky break. The day they found a $20 bill on the ground after putting on their “lucky” jacket. The time they almost missed a bus, only to end up sitting next to someone who later became their business partner.
These experiences override logic. Even if we intellectually understand that luck is mathematical, we still feel as though we can influence it in some way.
This psychological contradiction—knowing luck is random but acting as if it isn’t—is what makes the Western relationship with luck so complex.
The Hidden Role of Probability in Everyday Life
Though we like to think we control our own destinies, much of life is shaped by random chance.
A single unexpected event can completely alter someone’s future:
- A missed flight leads to meeting a future spouse in the airport lounge.
- A wrong turn leads to discovering a hidden job opportunity.
- An accidental email sent to the wrong person leads to a life-changing connection.
From a probability standpoint, these moments are inevitable—in a world filled with billions of interactions and possibilities, some of them will naturally line up in unusual ways. But to the person experiencing them, they feel like fate.
Even fields as structured as science, economics, and technology are filled with stories of luck playing a crucial role:
- Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin because he left a petri dish exposed and mold accidentally killed the bacteria.
- Google’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, initially tried to sell their search engine for $1 million, but were turned down—leading them to build a tech empire instead.
- Napoleon Bonaparte, one of history’s greatest generals, famously said: “I would rather have a lucky general than a good one.”
Luck—whether real or perceived—remains a critical factor in how life unfolds.
Can Probability Be Manipulated?
If luck is just randomness and probability, is there a way to tilt the odds in our favor?
This is where the intersection of science and psychology comes into play. Studies suggest that while we cannot change pure probability, we can change how often we expose ourselves to lucky opportunities.
For example:
- People who meet more people statistically have a higher chance of encountering someone who can offer them an opportunity.
- People who try more ideas are more likely to stumble upon a breakthrough.
- People who remain optimistic are more likely to take action rather than assume they will fail.
This suggests that luck isn’t just about probability—it’s about behavior.
While a single lottery ticket gives you an infinitesimally small chance of winning, someone who buys a thousand tickets significantly increases their odds.
While meeting one person at a networking event may not lead to a breakthrough, meeting a hundred people increases the probability that one of them might change your life.
The Modern Western Paradox: Rationality vs. Belief in Luck
So where does that leave us?
In the modern Western world, we live in a paradox. We rely on science and probability to explain the world, yet we act as if luck is real.
We know that crossing our fingers doesn’t actually increase our chances of success, yet we still do it. We understand that wearing the same jersey won’t influence the outcome of a game, yet sports fans swear by their lucky rituals. We are told that hard work and preparation are the keys to success, yet we can’t help but notice that some people seem to stumble into fortune while others work tirelessly and get nowhere.
This contradiction is built into our daily lives.
We reject the idea of fate, yet we still knock on wood after saying something optimistic—as if the universe might punish us for tempting it.
We believe in logic, yet we wish for good luck before an important event—as if a whispered phrase or a hopeful thought might tilt the outcome in our favor.
We are taught that randomness is just randomness, yet we find it impossible to ignore the fact that some people always seem to be in the right place at the right time.
Why Do We Still Believe in Luck?
The logical, scientific view tells us that luck is just probability in action—nothing more than statistical occurrences playing out in a world of billions of possibilities. Yet despite knowing this, we behave as if we can influence chance.
Why?
Because even though we understand that luck is random, experience tells us that some people have more of it than others.
We’ve all seen it.
- The entrepreneur who seems to effortlessly connect with the right investors.
- The job seeker who lands a dream position because they happened to sit next to a recruiter on a flight.
- The artist who struggles for years before one viral moment changes everything.
And we’ve also seen the opposite:
- The talented musician who never gets discovered.
- The brilliant scientist whose ideas never reach the right people.
- The hardworking employee who is always overlooked for promotion.
If life were purely about skill and effort, then success would be evenly distributed. But it isn’t. Some people rise quickly while others struggle endlessly. Some people find lucky breaks while others never do.
This discrepancy is why luck remains one of the most controversial and misunderstood forces in human existence. If success were purely about hard work, intelligence, and discipline, we would have a clear formula for achieving it. But because luck plays a role—whether large or small—the playing field is not always fair.
This leaves us with one critical question:
Can We Learn to Be Luckier?
If luck is just a numbers game, can we play the game in a way that stacks the odds in our favor?
If success is partly determined by random chance, then is there a way to increase our exposure to lucky breaks?
Some argue that luck is purely external—a force beyond human influence. But what if that’s only partially true? What if luck, instead of being entirely random, is something that can be cultivated, engineered, and shaped?
Psychologists, economists, and behavioral scientists have studied luck for years, and their findings suggest a fascinating possibility: Luck isn’t just something that happens—it’s something that people create.
- Lucky people tend to position themselves where opportunities are more likely to occur.
- They are more open to chance encounters and new experiences.
- They take more calculated risks, increasing their chances of hitting a breakthrough.
- They develop optimistic mindsets, which make them more likely to notice and act on lucky breaks.
If all of this is true, then luck is not just a roll of the dice. It is a skill—one that can be learned, developed, and applied in ways that increase our probability of success.
Luck: A Force or a Mindset?
Now, let’s go back to David and James.
Both were caught in the rain. Both had an event that changed their day. But only one of them walked away with a lucky break.
David found himself in a random situation—an unexpected downpour, an unfamiliar coffee shop, and a conversation with a stranger that set off a chain reaction of opportunities. But was it truly luck, or was it something else?
Would another person in David’s situation have made the same choice?
What if someone else had walked into that coffee shop but ignored the stranger’s comment and looked at their phone instead? What if they had been too focused on the inconvenience of the rain to engage in conversation? Would the opportunity have still presented itself? Or was it David’s mindset—his openness to conversation, his willingness to engage, his curiosity—that allowed him to recognize and seize the opportunity?
Did James Miss His Own Opportunity?
Now consider James.
He, too, was caught in the rain, but instead of ducking into a coffee shop, he ran home, slipped, and ended up with a broken ankle. On the surface, this was bad luck. But what if James, rather than seeing it as purely misfortune, had used his recovery time to learn a new skill? What if, instead of dwelling on his bad luck, he had focused on how to turn the situation into something meaningful?
What if, during his recovery, he started writing, or coding, or learning a new language—something that could have changed his future?
It’s not that James deserved his bad luck or that he somehow made a mistake by not finding an opportunity. But it raises an important question:
Is luck only about what happens to us, or is it also about how we respond?
Could James have learned to see and create opportunities the way David did?
The Difference Between Passive and Active Luck
When people think of luck, they often think of passive luck—something that just happens. Winning the lottery. Finding money on the ground. Avoiding a disaster at the last second.
But there is also active luck—luck that is created through action, awareness, and mindset.
Active luck is what happens when you:
- Put yourself in new situations where opportunities are more likely to arise.
- Engage with people and ideas, increasing the likelihood of serendipitous encounters.
- Stay adaptable, allowing yourself to pivot when an unexpected event occurs.
- Maintain an optimistic outlook, which makes you more likely to take advantage of an opportunity when it appears.
David’s luck was active luck—he put himself in a situation where an opportunity could emerge, and he recognized it when it did.
James’s luck was passive luck—he let chance dictate his outcome and saw his situation as something that happened to him rather than something he could shape.
But what if James had shifted his mindset? What if he had trained himself to see opportunities, even in bad situations? Would his story have ended differently?
What If Luck Isn’t Something We Have to Wait For?
What if luck isn’t something that happens to us, but something we can build?
Imagine for a moment that luck isn’t a magical force, nor is it purely randomness. Instead, imagine that luck is like a muscle—something that can be strengthened, trained, and developed over time.
What if the difference between “lucky” and “unlucky” people isn’t fate, but rather:
- How they move through the world
- How they respond to uncertainty
- How they take advantage of chance events
If this is true, then luck isn’t just a matter of good fortune—it’s a skill.
And like any skill, it can be learned.
This changes everything. Because if luck can be cultivated, then we don’t have to wait for it. We don’t have to hope for it.
We can create it.
And in the rest of this book, we’re going to explore exactly how.
The Romans: The Unpredictable Wheel of Fortune
To the ancient Romans, luck was not just an abstract concept—it was a living, breathing deity. Her name was Fortuna, and she ruled over the fates of individuals, cities, and even empires with a fickle and indifferent hand. Unlike other gods, who might show favor to the pious or reward acts of bravery, Fortuna was entirely unpredictable. She had no morals, no sense of justice, no loyalty. She simply spun her great wheel, and wherever it stopped, fate was sealed.
The Romans called this wheel the Rota Fortunae, the Wheel of Fortune, and it was one of the most powerful symbols in their culture. It represented the ever-changing nature of life—one day, a man could rise from nothing to become a senator, and the next, he could be cast into ruin.
There was no reason behind Fortuna’s decisions. The virtuous were brought low, while the wicked sometimes thrived. Hard work, intelligence, or even divine favor from other gods could not guarantee protection from the turn of her wheel. Fortuna could lift a beggar into wealth or reduce an emperor to dust—all with the same unpredictable spin.
Fortuna and the Roman Mindset
This belief in the randomness of fortune shaped the way Romans saw the world. It influenced their politics, their military strategies, and their daily lives. Unlike the modern Western idea that luck is something one can cultivate or attract, the Romans viewed it as something completely outside of human control.
Roman generals, for example, would offer elaborate sacrifices to Fortuna before battle, begging her to favor them. They built temples in her honor, hoping to gain her goodwill. And yet, no matter how much they prayed, they knew that her loyalty was temporary at best. Many of the greatest military leaders of Rome—Julius Caesar, Pompey, and even Augustus—recognized that their victories were not just the result of strategy and strength, but also of Fortuna’s favor.
But every general also knew that her favor never lasted forever.
The phrase “Fortune favors the bold” (Fortis Fortuna adiuvat) became a guiding principle for many Romans. It suggested that while Fortuna was unpredictable, she seemed to favor those who took risks and seized opportunities. A warrior who hesitated in battle might be struck down, while one who charged forward had a chance—however small—of finding victory.
However, this philosophy was not one of blind optimism. The Romans understood that luck could turn at any moment. They believed that no one, no matter how powerful, could escape the eventual downfall that Fortuna would bring.
The Wheel Always Turns
One of the most enduring Roman ideas was that no one was lucky forever, and no one was doomed forever either.
The great emperors of Rome were always aware that the same Fortuna who lifted them to power could just as easily cast them down into ruin. Roman history is filled with stories of men who rose to incredible heights, only to have the wheel turn against them:
- Julius Caesar, once beloved by Fortuna, conquered vast lands and reshaped Rome—until he was betrayed and assassinated by his own friends.
- Nero, who ruled as emperor with unchecked power, believed he was untouchable—until Fortuna’s wheel turned, and he was forced to take his own life.
- Commodus, born into an imperial throne, was favored by fortune for much of his life—until he lost everything and was strangled in his own palace.
But just as quickly as fortunes could fall, they could rise again. A disgraced general could be exiled one year and return as a hero the next. A merchant could be ruined by bad luck, only to rebuild his empire.
This understanding of the temporary nature of both success and failure became deeply ingrained in Roman philosophy.
For the Romans, the lesson of Fortuna was clear: never become too comfortable in victory, and never despair in defeat. The wheel always turns.
The Legacy of Fortuna
The influence of Fortuna did not die with the Roman Empire. The concept of the Wheel of Fortune spread throughout medieval Europe and remains embedded in Western thought today. Even now, we use phrases like:
- “What goes up must come down.”
- “Luck can change in an instant.”
- “Fortune favors the bold.”
These are echoes of the Roman understanding of luck—that no matter how powerful, intelligent, or hardworking you are, luck is an uncontrollable force that can shift without warning.
But what if luck isn’t entirely outside of our control?
The Romans accepted their fate as dictated by Fortuna, but in modern times, we have new tools—psychology, probability theory, and behavioral science—that suggest we may not be as powerless as they believed.
What if, instead of waiting for Fortuna’s wheel to spin in our favor, we could tilt the odds ever so slightly?
What if, rather than resigning ourselves to fate, we could learn to create our own luck?
That’s the question we’ll explore next.
The Chinese: Luck as a Balancing Act
Where the Romans saw luck as an unpredictable and chaotic force, the Chinese saw it as something that could be cultivated, shaped, and even controlled.
To them, luck was not random, nor was it purely divine intervention. Instead, it was the result of harmony, balance, and wise decision-making. The concept of Fu (福)—meaning good fortune or prosperity—was deeply tied to the cosmic balance of the universe, and one’s ability to align with it.
In Chinese philosophy, luck was not a matter of chance, but rather a pattern that could be influenced. Actions, behaviors, and even physical surroundings could determine whether luck flowed toward a person—or away from them.
While a Roman might have prayed to Fortuna, hoping her spinning wheel would favor them, a Chinese scholar would have carefully studied their environment, their actions, and their relationships to ensure that luck would move in their favor.
Luck as an Extension of Harmony
Chinese thought has long been influenced by Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, all of which emphasize harmony, balance, and cause-and-effect. In these philosophies, luck was seen not as a supernatural event but as the natural outcome of one’s actions and environment.
This belief is reflected in concepts such as:
- Feng Shui (风水) – The practice of arranging one’s environment to harmonize with natural energy forces (qi). A poorly designed home or workplace could disrupt one’s fortune, while a well-balanced space could enhance prosperity.
- The Five Elements (Wu Xing, 五行) – The idea that everything in life is influenced by the dynamic interactions of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. If these elements were in balance, a person’s life would flourish; if they were misaligned, misfortune would follow.
- The Yin-Yang Principle (阴阳) – The idea that luck, like everything else, is part of a larger balance. One cannot have good luck all the time, just as one cannot experience only night without day. The key was to maintain balance, ensuring that fortune remained in equilibrium rather than fluctuating wildly.
Unlike the Roman Wheel of Fortune, which was erratic and uncontrollable, the Chinese view of luck suggested that one could take an active role in shaping their own fortune.
Fu (福): The Pursuit of Good Fortune
The character 福 (Fu), meaning good fortune or prosperity, is one of the most widely used symbols in Chinese culture. It is often displayed in homes, businesses, and temples, especially during the Lunar New Year, as a way to invite luck into one’s life.
But Fu was not just about wishing for luck—it was about cultivating it through action.
According to traditional Chinese thought, luck could be influenced by:
- The way one treats others – A generous person attracts good fortune, while a selfish person repels it.
- One’s work ethic – Diligence and effort increase the chances of encountering lucky opportunities.
- Respect for ancestors and traditions – Honoring the past strengthens one’s connection to positive forces that guide fortune.
- Environmental factors – Living in a home with good feng shui ensures a steady flow of luck, while neglecting one’s surroundings can disrupt it.
This belief system created a fundamentally different relationship with luck than that of the Romans or even modern Western societies.
Rather than seeing luck as a random event, the Chinese saw it as a process—one that could be nurtured through careful choices and mindful living.
The Role of Luck in Chinese Society
Because of this structured view of fortune, luck became deeply woven into daily life in Chinese culture.
- Businesses choose opening dates based on lucky numbers and astrological alignments.
- Weddings, childbirth, and major life events are often scheduled on days that maximize good fortune.
- Gifts of money in red envelopes (hongbao, 红包) are given during the New Year and other celebrations to pass on prosperity and luck.
- Names are carefully chosen to include characters associated with wealth, happiness, or longevity.
This level of intentionality reflects a deep-seated belief: Luck is not a gamble. It is a choice.
Shaping the Future vs. Surrendering to Fate
The stark contrast between the Roman and Chinese views of luck highlights two fundamentally different mindsets.
- The Romans saw luck as a force beyond human control—a chaotic and unpredictable entity that could turn at any moment. Their solution was to pray to Fortuna and prepare for the inevitable rise and fall of fortune.
- The Chinese saw luck as a pattern that could be shaped—a balance of energy and action that could be adjusted through mindfulness and discipline. Their approach was to live in alignment with natural forces, ensuring luck remained stable rather than volatile.
Where a Roman might say, “Fortune is blind, and her wheel turns as it will,” a Chinese thinker might say, “A wise person knows how to position themselves where luck can find them.”
The Western Influence: Luck as a Skill
Interestingly, modern Western self-development philosophies have more in common with the Chinese view of luck than the Roman one. The idea that people can “make their own luck”—by networking, seeking out opportunities, and maintaining a positive mindset—echoes the traditional Chinese belief that luck can be attracted through action and awareness.
This raises a fascinating question:
If the Chinese are right—if luck is not just randomness but a pattern that can be shaped—then what steps can we take to actively engineer more lucky moments in our lives?
And if luck is something that can be cultivated, then why do some people seem to attract it effortlessly while others constantly struggle?
That’s the question we’ll explore next.
The Hindu Perspective: Luck as a Consequence of Past Actions
It is a cold morning in Varanasi, the sacred city where life, death, and the divine are woven together in an endless cycle. Along the banks of the Ganges, pilgrims bathe in the holy waters, believing that each drop washes away past sins. The air is thick with the scent of incense, prayers, and the distant echoes of chanting monks.
Among the people gathered there, an old man sits quietly, watching the river flow. He has seen fortunes rise and fall. He has witnessed merchants become kings and kings become beggars. He has listened to countless stories of men and women who have been struck by unexpected misfortune or lifted by unexpected fortune.
And yet, if you asked him about luck, he would not call it random. He would not tell you that fate is a blind goddess spinning an unpredictable wheel, nor would he tell you that good fortune can be summoned with the right words or charms.
Instead, he would tell you about karma.
Luck as Karma: The Invisible Ledger of the Universe
To the Hindu mind, luck is not a game of chance. It is not a cosmic dice roll, nor is it the favor of an unpredictable god. Instead, luck is earned, accumulated, and repaid—not just in this life, but in the lives before and after.
The word karma (कर्म) translates to “action” or “deed,” but in Hindu philosophy, it means much more than that. Every action a person takes—every thought, every word, every decision—creates an imprint on the universe. These actions form an invisible ledger, a cosmic accounting system that dictates what a person will experience in the future.
In this view, good luck is not an accident—it is a reward. Likewise, bad luck is not a curse—it is a debt being repaid.
The concept of karma removes the randomness from luck. A beggar on the street might not have been born unlucky—he may be suffering the consequences of actions taken long ago. A man who suddenly inherits wealth may not have been randomly blessed—he may be reaping the benefits of a past life well lived.
Dharma and the Flow of Fortune
If karma is the seed of luck, then dharma (धर्म) is the path that shapes it.
Dharma is one’s duty, purpose, and moral code. It is the role a person is meant to fulfill in this life. In Hindu philosophy, luck is not something that is simply given or withheld; it is deeply connected to whether a person follows their dharma or strays from it.
A person who follows their dharma—who acts with integrity, kindness, and wisdom—creates good karma, which eventually manifests as good luck.
A person who violates their dharma—who acts selfishly, dishonestly, or cruelly—accumulates negative karma, which eventually manifests as bad luck.
But here’s the key: karma does not always deliver instant results. A man who cheats his way to wealth may not suffer in this life, but the debt remains. A woman who works hard with honesty and never sees success may still be setting herself up for good fortune in the future.
This delayed effect is what makes karma different from Western ideas of luck. In the West, luck is often seen as something that happens in the moment—a coin toss, a lottery win, a sudden stroke of fortune. In Hinduism, luck operates on a much larger timescale, often extending across multiple lifetimes.
The Hindu Mindset: Luck as a Personal Responsibility
Unlike the Roman view, where luck is random and uncontrollable, or the Chinese belief, where luck can be influenced by balance and harmony, the Hindu perspective places full responsibility on the individual.
You do not receive luck. You create it.
This perspective fundamentally changes how Hindus approach life:
- Instead of hoping for luck, one focuses on right action.
- Instead of fearing misfortune, one accepts it as a lesson.
- Instead of seeing luck as an external force, one understands it as an internal consequence.
This belief system fosters a sense of control over one’s destiny. If a person suffers misfortune, they do not simply curse their bad luck; they reflect on their past actions and seek to correct their course. If a person experiences great fortune, they do not take it for granted; they use it wisely, knowing it is the result of past karma and can just as easily be lost.
In this view, luck is not something that is wished for—it is something that is earned.
Can Luck Be Changed?
If luck is simply the result of accumulated karma, then this leads to a fascinating idea:
Luck is not fixed. It can be changed.
Unlike the Roman idea that Fortuna’s wheel turns at random, the Hindu perspective suggests that a person can alter their future by changing their present actions.
A person who has suffered bad luck can begin making better choices, accumulating positive karma, and slowly altering the course of their fortune. A person who has enjoyed great luck can destroy it through greed, cruelty, or dishonesty.
This belief fosters self-discipline, patience, and long-term thinking. It teaches that:
✔ Success is not immediate—but it is eventual.
✔ Misfortune is not permanent—but it is instructive.
✔ Luck is not given—it is made.
This idea is perhaps one of the most empowering perspectives on luck ever developed.
The Hindu View vs. The Modern Western View
Fast forward to today, and modern Western society has largely abandoned mystical explanations for luck.
Where Hinduism sees luck as karma, the modern West sees luck as probability.
Where Hinduism believes luck is earned over time, the modern West believes luck is random and statistical.
In this scientific view:
- Winning the lottery is not a karmic reward—it’s pure math.
- Surviving an accident is not a result of past good deeds—it’s statistical probability.
- Business success is not a divine result of past ethical behavior—it’s a mix of skill, timing, and random luck.
And yet, despite this rational perspective, people still act as if luck is real.
Athletes refuse to wash their lucky socks. People carry charms. Gamblers develop rituals. Even in an age of logic and reason, we can’t shake the feeling that some people are luckier than others.
And that raises the most important question of all:
If luck is just probability, why do some people seem to have more of it?
If success is purely statistical, then why do some people consistently land in the right place at the right time?
Could it be that luck isn’t entirely random after all?
Could it be that luck—whether seen as karma, balance, or randomness—is something that can be cultivated, engineered, and shaped?
The answer might be more surprising than we think.
And that’s what we’ll explore next.
Luckiest and Unluckiest People in History
Luck is a paradox. What appears to be good fortune can sometimes be the result of barely surviving disaster, while what seems like bad luck may eventually lead to an outcome that no one could have predicted.
For some people, luck follows them like a shadow—always present, always turning potential catastrophe into mere inconvenience. For others, misfortune seems to be a constant companion, as if the universe is conspiring against them.
And then there are the people who have experienced both—those who have defied death, defied logic, and left the world wondering: Were they incredibly lucky? Or unimaginably cursed?
One such man is Frane Selak.
The Luckiest Man: Frane Selak
If you were to ask someone to name the luckiest person in history, they might not mention a billionaire or a world leader. They might not talk about someone who made the right business decision or inherited a fortune.
Instead, they might tell you the story of Frane Selak, a man who escaped death seven times—only to win the lottery.
But here’s the question: Was he lucky because he survived, or unlucky because he kept finding himself in these life-threatening situations?
The Train That Plunged Into an Icy River
It was 1962, and Frane Selak, a Croatian music teacher, was traveling by train through a remote part of Yugoslavia. The journey was uneventful until, without warning, the train derailed and crashed into a freezing river.
Seventeen people drowned that day. Frane, however, managed to swim to shore, battered but alive.
Most people would consider surviving a train crash to be a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of luck. But for Frane, this was only the beginning.
The Plane That Blew Apart in Mid-Air
A year later, in 1963, Frane boarded a small commercial flight from Zagreb to Rijeka. As the plane soared above the clouds, the cabin door suddenly tore off.
He was sucked out.
For most, this would have been the end. No one survives falling from a plane.
But as fate would have it, Frane landed in a haystack—the only soft landing he could have hoped for.
The plane, meanwhile, crashed and killed everyone on board.
The Bus That Plunged Into a River
By now, you might assume that Frane had developed a sixth sense for disaster avoidance, but his troubles weren’t over.
In 1966, he was riding on a bus when it skidded off the road and into a river. Several passengers drowned, but once again, Frane managed to swim to safety.
At this point, one might wonder—is this man defying death, or is death actively chasing him?
The Two Car Explosions
By the 1970s, Frane had likely grown wary of public transportation. He switched to driving his own car, probably believing he could control his fate better that way.
But luck—or whatever force governed his life—wasn’t done with him.
- In 1970, while driving along a country road, his car suddenly caught fire. He jumped out just in time before it exploded.
- In 1973, history repeated itself. Another car, another engine malfunction, another narrow escape before the vehicle exploded.
At this point, most people would assume that the universe had it out for him.
The Cliffside Plunge
Fast forward to 1995. Frane was driving along a winding mountain road when an oncoming truck forced him off the cliff.
His car plummeted over the edge.
Once again, death seemed inevitable.
But somehow, Frane was ejected from the car mid-air and managed to grab onto a tree—while his car continued to tumble hundreds of feet below.
If this had been his final chapter, his story would have been one of the most spectacular brushes with death ever recorded. But his luck—or his curse—wasn’t finished yet.
The Lottery Win That Defied All Odds
A year after his last near-death experience, Frane decided to buy a lottery ticket.
This was 1996—a full 34 years after his first train crash. He had no reason to believe that anything good was coming his way.
But when the winning numbers were announced, Frane Selak—the man who had survived seven life-threatening incidents—had just won the equivalent of $1 million USD.
It was as if the universe had finally decided: “Alright, you’ve been through enough. Here’s something good.”
Lucky or Unlucky?
Frane Selak’s story raises an interesting question:
Was he the luckiest man alive, or the unluckiest?
On one hand, he survived seven separate incidents that should have killed him. That alone is extraordinary. Most people would not have survived even one.
But on the other hand, who finds themselves in these situations to begin with? Most people go their entire lives without ever experiencing a single catastrophic accident.
Was Frane’s life a series of lucky escapes, or was he simply doomed to a never-ending game of Russian roulette with fate?
His story challenges the way we think about luck.
We often define luck as the absence of suffering and struggle—but in reality, luck is what happens when the worst possible scenario unfolds, and you still manage to survive.
For Frane, luck wasn’t about avoiding disaster—it was about walking away from it every single time.
The Legacy of Luck
Frane Selak passed away in 2016 at the age of 87. After everything he had been through, he lived to an old age—something that almost defies belief given the sheer number of times he had cheated death.
In his later years, he was known for having a good sense of humor about his life, saying that he had finally settled down and decided to live a quiet, risk-free existence.
He even gave away most of his lottery winnings, saying that he had all the luck he would ever need.
And maybe he was right.
Because luck, as Frane’s life proves, is not always winning the lottery or living without obstacles.
Sometimes, luck is just being able to walk away—no matter how many times the odds are against you.
The Unluckiest Man: Tsutomu Yamaguchi
It was the morning of August 6, 1945, and Tsutomu Yamaguchi was preparing to leave Hiroshima. He had spent the last three months in the city on a temporary work assignment for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. That day, he was scheduled to return home to Nagasaki, where his wife and child were waiting for him.
He was walking toward the Hiroshima train station when the sky above him suddenly erupted in a flash of blinding white light.
At 8:15 AM, the Enola Gay, an American B-29 bomber, had just dropped “Little Boy”, the first atomic bomb ever used in warfare.
The explosion instantly incinerated the city’s core, leveling buildings, igniting firestorms, and killing tens of thousands of people in an instant. The force of the blast ripped Yamaguchi off his feet, throwing him into the air before he crashed down into the dirt. The shockwave ruptured his eardrums. His body was burned, his hair singed.
He had survived.
Staggering through the rubble, he could barely comprehend the destruction around him. Everything he knew about Hiroshima was gone. The city was now an inferno, filled with mangled bodies, collapsed buildings, and thousands of people dying in agony.
Somehow, despite his injuries, Yamaguchi managed to find two of his coworkers—both of whom had also survived the blast. Together, they navigated through the ruins, searching for shelter as Hiroshima burned.
The next morning, August 7, with wounds covering his body, Yamaguchi made the impossible decision:
He had to go home.
He found his way to the train station—one of the few structures still standing—and managed to board an evacuation train heading toward Nagasaki.
What he didn’t know was that he was heading straight toward another apocalypse.
Returning Home, Only to Face Another Bomb
Yamaguchi arrived in Nagasaki on August 8. He was dazed, burned, and barely able to process what had happened. His wife, terrified by his condition, tended to his wounds while he told her the unthinkable story—how an entire city had been wiped off the map in an instant.
The next morning, August 9, he reported for work at Mitsubishi’s Nagasaki office.
His supervisor was skeptical of his story. One bomb could not possibly destroy an entire city. Hiroshima was a military hub, but obliteration? That was unthinkable. His boss listened but refused to believe that such a weapon could exist.
And then, at 11:02 AM, the world proved Yamaguchi right.
As he sat in the Mitsubishi office, the sky erupted in light—again.
The second atomic bomb, “Fat Man,” had just been dropped on Nagasaki.
Surviving the Impossible—Twice
For the second time in three days, Tsutomu Yamaguchi had found himself at the center of a nuclear explosion.
The force of the blast shattered windows, collapsed buildings, and sent him flying to the ground once more. But this time, he had been far enough from the epicenter that he survived again.
His home—where his wife and son had been—was destroyed. But against all odds, they had survived too.
In just 72 hours, Yamaguchi had experienced two of the deadliest attacks in human history.
At this point, no one would have blamed him if he had seen himself as the unluckiest man alive. How many people live through one atomic bomb—let alone two?
Yet, despite the horror he endured, Yamaguchi refused to let despair define his life.
The Aftermath: A Life Shaped by Survival
Unlike most hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors), Yamaguchi lived to tell his story.
He spent years recovering from his injuries—his burns slowly healed, but the radiation exposure left lifelong effects on his body. He suffered from radiation sickness, recurring infections, and near-complete deafness in one ear. Many of his coworkers and fellow survivors would later die from radiation-related illnesses, but somehow, he endured.
For decades, Yamaguchi remained silent about what had happened to him. Like many hibakusha, he carried the weight of survivor’s guilt—a burden made worse by Japan’s reluctance to openly discuss the bombings in the years after the war.
But as he grew older, something changed.
Yamaguchi realized that he had lived through history not just once, but twice. He was, quite possibly, the only person who could fully explain what it was like to experience two nuclear detonations, two times over, and still live to tell the world.
He became a vocal anti-nuclear activist, traveling across Japan and beyond, sharing his story and advocating for peace. In his later years, he even addressed the United Nations, warning the world about the horrors of nuclear weapons.
In 2009, he was officially recognized by the Japanese government as the only person to have survived both atomic bombings—a distinction no one would ever want.
A year later, in 2010, Tsutomu Yamaguchi passed away at the age of 93.
Was He Lucky or Unlucky?
At first glance, Yamaguchi’s story is one of unbelievable misfortune.
Most people cannot imagine surviving one atomic blast. He survived two. He endured pain, suffering, and lifelong radiation effects. His family lost everything—not once, but twice.
But then again—how many people exposed to two nuclear blasts live to die peacefully at 93 years old?
How many people could say they experienced the deadliest force in human history and lived long enough to warn the world about it?
Yamaguchi’s story challenges the way we think about luck and fate. Was he unlucky because of what he experienced? Or was he lucky because he survived—twice—when so many others perished?
His life was a testament to resilience, survival, and the unpredictable nature of luck itself.
So What Is Luck, Really?
Looking at history, culture, and science, one thing is clear: Luck is more than just randomness.
Yes, some events are purely probability—a roll of the dice, a shuffled deck, a number drawn from a million others. But history shows us that luck is not just about what happens—it’s about how we respond.
Consider this:
- Is luck a force beyond our control?
If so, then nothing we do matters. We are puppets of randomness, tossed by forces we cannot influence. - Or is luck a pattern of behavior, mindset, and perception?
If this is true, then some people may actually increase their chances of experiencing fortune by the way they live, think, and act.
Tsutomu Yamaguchi had every reason to believe he was cursed. But he didn’t. Instead, he dedicated his life to something bigger than himself. He found purpose in survival. He turned tragedy into testimony.
This is what separates passive luck from active luck—the idea that while we cannot control everything that happens to us, we can control what we do with it.
And if that’s true, then maybe luck isn’t just something that happens to us.
Maybe, just maybe, it’s something we can shape.
And in the next chapter, we’ll explore exactly how.