Wednesday, January 20, 2010
luck vs fate vs faith: A good piece by 吳思源
The older I get, the more I realize how much "luck" palys a role in my life. As Christian, it's sometimes difficult to admit the existence of luck as we ought to believe everything's in God's plan. Some Christians even describe being lucky is a by-product of God's blessings. I'm neutral on that point, although sometimes I do attribute my being lucky to God's watching over me.
What about "bad luck" then? Is God playing a trick on us?
Mr. Ng See Yuen (吳思源) has written a fabulous piece on "luck" from a religious perspective. Want to share with you:-
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運氣
2010年1月18日 星期一
文：吳思源 〈 資深心理發展作家，從心會社社長〉
有些詞彙，基督徒望而卻步，不敢面對，「運氣」是其中之一。
幾年前有齣名噪一時、拿了不少大獎的電影「迷失決勝分」(Match Point)，由名導演活地阿倫執導，其中涉及的就是「運氣」這個課題。
活地阿倫在電影的開頭寫了一段說話：
The man who said "I'd rather be lucky than good" saw deeply into life. People are afraid to face how great a part of life is dependent on luck. It's scary to think so much out of one's control. There are moments in a match when the ball hits the top of the net and for a split second it can either go forward or fall back. With a little luck it goes forward and you win. Or maybe it doesn't and you lose.
「運氣」說穿了就是隨機，就是偶發性，正如你走在街上，一塊樹葉飄到你身上，你覺得好浪漫；但如果是一瓶鏹水擲下來，你就要送入醫院。為什麼鏹水擲下來的一刻你偏偏走到它落下的位置，不遲不早不左不右，我們沒法解釋，這就是隨機性，一般稱之為「運氣」。
又如你參加教會的周年聚餐，席上有抽獎項目，抽獎箱內有幾百張獎券，但偏偏給你的獎券被抽出，贏得一部高清電視機。基督徒習慣說一聲「感謝主」，但上主是否冥冥中動搖了抽獎嘉賓的手，叫他不由自主地取出你那一張？我想沒有人會說是。你的中獎只是隨機，別人的不中獎也一樣是隨機，跟你們各人的行為德行無關，也不是上主在背後擺布支配，這也稱之為「運氣」。
承認「運氣」又是否排拒了上主，對衪不恭不敬呢？其實又不是。正如活地阿倫說，當我們愈知道自己的許多得失只是來自運氣，我們才明白人生原來不是全靠自己 ─ 我們真的很渺小，很脆弱。但感謝上主，衪仍照管著我，給我力量和信念活下去 ─ 不論我的運氣如何。
「運氣」提醒我們只是凡人，信仰卻叫我們知道運氣不是一切，至終發言的是那愛我們到底的上主。
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What about "bad luck" then? Is God playing a trick on us?
Mr. Ng See Yuen (吳思源) has written a fabulous piece on "luck" from a religious perspective. Want to share with you:-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
運氣
2010年1月18日 星期一
文：吳思源 〈 資深心理發展作家，從心會社社長〉
有些詞彙，基督徒望而卻步，不敢面對，「運氣」是其中之一。
幾年前有齣名噪一時、拿了不少大獎的電影「迷失決勝分」(Match Point)，由名導演活地阿倫執導，其中涉及的就是「運氣」這個課題。
活地阿倫在電影的開頭寫了一段說話：
The man who said "I'd rather be lucky than good" saw deeply into life. People are afraid to face how great a part of life is dependent on luck. It's scary to think so much out of one's control. There are moments in a match when the ball hits the top of the net and for a split second it can either go forward or fall back. With a little luck it goes forward and you win. Or maybe it doesn't and you lose.
「運氣」說穿了就是隨機，就是偶發性，正如你走在街上，一塊樹葉飄到你身上，你覺得好浪漫；但如果是一瓶鏹水擲下來，你就要送入醫院。為什麼鏹水擲下來的一刻你偏偏走到它落下的位置，不遲不早不左不右，我們沒法解釋，這就是隨機性，一般稱之為「運氣」。
又如你參加教會的周年聚餐，席上有抽獎項目，抽獎箱內有幾百張獎券，但偏偏給你的獎券被抽出，贏得一部高清電視機。基督徒習慣說一聲「感謝主」，但上主是否冥冥中動搖了抽獎嘉賓的手，叫他不由自主地取出你那一張？我想沒有人會說是。你的中獎只是隨機，別人的不中獎也一樣是隨機，跟你們各人的行為德行無關，也不是上主在背後擺布支配，這也稱之為「運氣」。
承認「運氣」又是否排拒了上主，對衪不恭不敬呢？其實又不是。正如活地阿倫說，當我們愈知道自己的許多得失只是來自運氣，我們才明白人生原來不是全靠自己 ─ 我們真的很渺小，很脆弱。但感謝上主，衪仍照管著我，給我力量和信念活下去 ─ 不論我的運氣如何。
「運氣」提醒我們只是凡人，信仰卻叫我們知道運氣不是一切，至終發言的是那愛我們到底的上主。
Labels: Christian faith, luck, Match Point, Woody Allen, 吳思源
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Monday, March 26, 2007
Chris Gardner is a living inspiration!
Saw "The Pursuit of Happyness" today. This is going to a movie that's going to stick with me for awhile. Inspirational movies are being produced less and less in Hollywood these days (aside from those endless baseball/football/basketball-themed films). The last one I remembered watching consciously was "Forrest Gump," and that was years ago. Hence I had been wanting to see "Pursuit" since I heard about it last year.
Chris Gardner is a truly inspirational character. You can read more about his biography here. What particularly struck a cord with me was when Gardner said to his son in the basketball court, "If you have a dream, you gotta protect it. Don't let anybody tell you that you can't do something. Not even me."
Gardner's story shows us that hard work is mandatory. But the extra stuff you get in life is about how much you really want it. If you want it, you'll have to go get it.
In my four years of working as a lawyer in the USA, I had ups and downs. I used to a rather passive person, but those four years trained me to be a positively active person. Some people are luckier than me; things just fall on their laps. But I don't envy them because I knew a long time ago I'm the type of person who has to fight for things to happen. Now I just go grab my chances and give 100% of my heart.
I am not afraid of being in a disadvantaged position because nothing can shake my confidence anymore. My HK trip has turned out to be a surprisingly lovely journey because I have a strong support network both in and outside of school. So I want to thank my family, friends, and even some amazing acquaintances for giving me the support and encouragement that I need. And trust me, I'll give it back and bounce it around. Because you can't use up encouragement; it's endless.
What is remarkable about Gardner's career is that he does a lot of charity work and gives back to society. Not only is he wealthy in the conventional sense, but he also understands the true quality of life. "Wealth" is not measured by how much money you make, but by how much you enrich people's lives around you, one at a time. So I dedicated this entry to those who have and continue to inspire me. Thank you for making me strong and rich throughout all these years!
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Chris Gardner is a truly inspirational character. You can read more about his biography here. What particularly struck a cord with me was when Gardner said to his son in the basketball court, "If you have a dream, you gotta protect it. Don't let anybody tell you that you can't do something. Not even me." Gardner's story shows us that hard work is mandatory. But the extra stuff you get in life is about how much you really want it. If you want it, you'll have to go get it.
In my four years of working as a lawyer in the USA, I had ups and downs. I used to a rather passive person, but those four years trained me to be a positively active person. Some people are luckier than me; things just fall on their laps. But I don't envy them because I knew a long time ago I'm the type of person who has to fight for things to happen. Now I just go grab my chances and give 100% of my heart.
I am not afraid of being in a disadvantaged position because nothing can shake my confidence anymore. My HK trip has turned out to be a surprisingly lovely journey because I have a strong support network both in and outside of school. So I want to thank my family, friends, and even some amazing acquaintances for giving me the support and encouragement that I need. And trust me, I'll give it back and bounce it around. Because you can't use up encouragement; it's endless.
What is remarkable about Gardner's career is that he does a lot of charity work and gives back to society. Not only is he wealthy in the conventional sense, but he also understands the true quality of life. "Wealth" is not measured by how much money you make, but by how much you enrich people's lives around you, one at a time. So I dedicated this entry to those who have and continue to inspire me. Thank you for making me strong and rich throughout all these years!
Labels: chances, Chris Gardner, diligence, hard work, inspiration, luck, Pursuit of Happyness
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