Saturday, May 19, 2012

Relying on dumb luck

Back where I used to live, so many of the people in my social circle relied on luck when it came to their day-to-day dealings. Not strategy, not planning, not skill... luck. It was insane. When playing billiards, for example, they would often just let the cue ball go wild, hoping that it would sink a ball or two. So much for counting on skill. They took the challenge out of the game. The same thing happened when it came to video games. They would fire wildly, hoping to hit something. Or when I'd be playing a card game, they'd advise me to try a move, saying "Who knows? You might get lucky." What about figuring out the odds instead, maximizing your chances for a win? Relying on blind luck is just dumb.