talkmagic.co.uk

Alec Kobain wrote:Luck is all down to your disposition. That butcher on last nights show said he was unlucky, nearly got shot in the eye etc. well some may say, 'ooh that was lucky it wasn't your eye!'

I'm a glass is half full person. I have a happy life!

Alec

So you're saying if someone gets raped/mugged/murdered, it's their own fault because of their disposition?
I have a very unlucky sad little life, and none of it is because of my 'out look'
I'm miserable now because s**t things happen, i have no control over what my health or relatives health is, how unstable my partner will turn out to be etc.

Many moons ago on ITV in the Midlands there was a regular Astrology spot featuring Evadne Price who presented ‘Fun with the Stars' as a slightly batty woman announcing what the stars foretold for each star sign in a very stereotypical soothsayer type persona and appearance - a headband with little silver coins dangling across her forehead in a gypsy style. OK, I know the ‘A‘ word means it’s all a load of poo but, even though she was an actress and writer with a parallel career as astrologer, she always ended her broadcasts with the same bit of advice which sums up Derren’s program – 'Think lucky and you’ll be lucky’.

Check her out at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evadne_Price" target="_blank" target="_blank

Astrology
Evadne Price had a parallel career as a broadcaster during the early years of British television. Her afternoon horoscope show called “Fun with the Stars” led to a long-running evening program. Price was dubbed the “new astrologer extraordinaire” for twenty-five years for the SHE magazine and published a successful collection of these columns as SHE Stargazes. When she and her husband retired to Australia in 1976, Evadne Price wrote the monthly horoscope column for Australian Vogue. She also appeared weekly on the ITV Central evening news magazine show with a 5 minute astrological reading and she would always close with the catchphrase "think lucky and you'll be lucky".

wittyusername wrote:

Alec Kobain wrote:Luck is all down to your disposition. That butcher on last nights show said he was unlucky, nearly got shot in the eye etc. well some may say, 'ooh that was lucky it wasn't your eye!'

I'm a glass is half full person. I have a happy life!

Alec

So you're saying if someone gets raped/mugged/murdered, it's their own fault because of their disposition?.

Is that what I said?

I don't recall writing that particular sentence out. Read what you wrote and think about that again. Is that really how you interpret what I was trying to get across?

I even mentioned an example on how a different perspective can see the same event as either lucky or unlucky! I think you should leave your deaths, rapes and muggings at the door and think again about what I wrote.

Alec

sorry I'm an utter k**B head... i just read what you said again, i misread it.
I thought before you said you make your own luck, (ie. agreeing with uncle Derren!)

wittyusername wrote:sorry I'm an utter k**B head... i just read what you said again, i misread it.
I thought before you said you make your own luck, (ie. agreeing with uncle Derren!)

No worries.

I think 'luck' depends on where you live a lot of the time,
(i have a new car that happens to be utter c*** (not the best) so it breaks down A LOT)
If i break down in Cheshire I'm always overwhelmed by the amount of people who stop to help.
If i break down just over the border in Liverpool, no one stops, EVER;
I broke down in the snow at 5 in the morning once, on a round about and the police went past twice (not out to a call) and saw me trying to push my car, did they stop? no.
Just this morning my friend was telling me her car had broken down and loads of groups of men walked past and not one offered to help her push it, just left her.

So with regards to things involving other people and their spontaneous acts of kindness (which could be perceived as luck) it does depend on where you live sadly.

MisterRawlings wrote:The only issue I have with this luck thing is that, although I agree being more positive and taking more opportunities may create your own luck and nice things might happen, but surely taking more opportunities and being more positive would also increase the amount of bad things that happen and also set you up for more disappointments? I think there needs to be a bit of a mix, think fairly positive, do slightly more things, but don't approach life with a 'yes' to everything as that can also welcome trouble.

If you check out some of Richard Wiseman's books he talks about luck and the psychology of positive people and their luck. I wasn't surprised to seem him mentioned in the credits because I know he's done work on it.

wittyusername wrote:I thought before you said you make your own luck

You do make your own luck but it's to do with perspective, people who consider themselves lucky will normally endeavour to see a bright side an "unlucky" person would never consider.

To use your extreme examples;

Is someone getting mugged lucky? Yes, they are lucky they were unharmed and only had things stolen.
If someone were to get mugged and raped are they lucky? Yes they are lucky they were not killed.
If someone were to get mugged, raped and killed are they lucky? They are unfortunately no longer alive to have a perspective either way, a third party may however have the perspective that it was "lucky" it was not them.

The viewpoint of this show was more about the "in it to win it" adage. The number of people who complain nothing good ever happens to them, they never win anything etc. are invariably the people that never choose to go anywhere, do anything or enter anything to give them the opportunity. It's not to say be gullible enough to throw yourself headlong in to every stupid opportunity that arises but try to make the most of life and be positive rather than waste it complaining that it's so rubbish!

After watching that show, I have decided to take more opportunities. Why, only today, I have given my bank account details to help someone shift a large inheritance out of Nigeria.

Joking apart, the show was heavily biased towards favourable chances, and completely ignored that fact that sometimes you make a bad decision. The "winning" scratchcard means you get spammed mercilessly once they have your contact details and never actually get the prize. You stop to help someone and they mug you for your iPhone (as in Tomo's recent thread).

I still greatly enjoyed the show. Only the second one of the series really didn't do it for me.