NationStates Jolt Archive

This is my 8,888th post, the luckiest number possible on NSG, so far as anyone has achieved, in keeping with the oriental way of looking at things.

For the first part I want to wish everyone good luck with whatever they do, and prosperity and good fortune for their families.

For the second part, I wish to solicit intellectually lurid accounts of luck, firm as I am in my conviction that a person's intellect can be measured to an appreciable degree by the depth of his belief in coincidence rather than unseen forces.

I submit that on my 18th birthday, years ago, I went for the fun of it to an Indian Casino in my fair home state, and won a sum in excess of 980 dollars on a slot machine. The pleasure was unexampled.

I can say that your winning of money on a certain day, because you believed in it is a fallacy.
In the belief that you won the money once, you can win it again on that nice day.
Therefore this because of this (Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc).
I could say that winning money from a casino is a morally poor act. As it means other people had to lose money in order for you to gain it, just something about that i don't like.
Coincidence is unseen forces effectively.

Also the idea of luck takes away any value of work you might have put into something, or work someone else put in.
Superstitious, but it's quite common too.
Luck doesn't really have much bearing on what you do should you decide to believe in it, as i could say it's like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
E.g. i worked hard but didn't get anything in reward, and now i've won the lottery, it must be LUCK!
Luck doesn't put blame on people who didn't pay you for your work, nor explain the numbers of people who are tricked into buying lottery tickets, when they could be spending it on something worthwile and of more immediate practical importance to them.

Conclusion, luck cannot be trusted to function in any part of human society as it brushes over the real causes that made a certain thing happen. This in itself isn't a bad thing but is part of inductive reasoning. It also doesn't take into account the number of times you were not 'lucky'.
cheers

Is any of that at odds with anything posted in the OP? Or are we having another crisis of comprehension on NSG?

I can say that your winning of money on a certain day, because you believed in it is a fallacy.
In the belief that you won the money once, you can win it again on that nice day.
Therefore this because of this (Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc).
I could say that winning money from a casino is a morally poor act. As it means other people had to lose money in order for you to gain it, just something about that i don't like.
Coincidence is unseen forces effectively.

Also the idea of luck takes away any value of work you might have put into something, or work someone else put in.
Superstitious, but it's quite common too.
Luck doesn't really have much bearing on what you do should you decide to believe in it, as i could say it's like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
E.g. i worked hard but didn't get anything in reward, and now i've won the lottery, it must be LUCK!
Luck doesn't put blame on people who didn't pay you for your work, nor explain the numbers of people who are tricked into buying lottery tickets, when they could be spending it on something worthwile and of more immediate practical importance to them.

Conclusion, luck cannot be trusted to function in any part of human society as it brushes over the real causes that made a certain thing happen. This in itself isn't a bad thing but is part of inductive reasoning. It also doesn't take into account the number of times you were not 'lucky'.
cheers

Is any of that at odds with anything posted in the OP? Or are we having another crisis of comprehension on NSG?

Yes. I'm criticising the belief in Luck, which happens to be the title of the OP and also an explanation for your actions.
Comprehension? You mean you don't want to explain.

EDIT:okay i'll be nice, i'll ask a different question. Why is 88 a lucky number?

Yes. I'm criticising the belief in Luck, which happens to be the title of the OP and also an explanation for your actions.
Comprehension? You mean you don't want to explain.

EDIT:okay i'll be nice, i'll ask a different question. Why is 88 a lucky number?
Chinese culture. The number 8 ("ba") in Mandarin sounds very similar to the word for wealth ("fa"). That is one of the origins of 8 being a lucky number. There are probably others historically, but that'd take some digging and research.

This is my 8,888th post, the luckiest number possible on NSG, so far as anyone has achieved, in keeping with the oriental way of looking at things.

For the first part I want to wish everyone good luck with whatever they do, and prosperity and good fortune for their families.

For the second part, I wish to solicit intellectually lurid accounts of luck, firm as I am in my conviction that a person's intellect can be measured to an appreciable degree by the depth of his belief in coincidence rather than unseen forces.

I submit that on my 18th birthday, years ago, I went for the fun of it to an Indian Casino in my fair home state, and won a sum in excess of 980 dollars on a slot machine. The pleasure was unexampled.

ahhhh luck is so fleeting. now you are at 8893, not such a lucky number at all.

Chinese culture. The number 8 ("ba") in Mandarin sounds very similar to the word for wealth ("fa"). That is one of the origins of 8 being a lucky number. There are probably others historically, but that'd take some digging and research.

According to Juan Eduardo Cirlot, in his "Symbols Dictionary", the number 8 is the mix of the square and the circle (representing eternity), and for that reason it represents regeneration. It was considered, during the Middle Ages as a symbol of the baptismal waters. It is also associated to the Ourobouros, because it looks like the snake bitting its own tail. This is considered to be the spiritual and natural potentials that every being possesses. Perhaps, 88, as a dual, embodies these ideas. Perhaps... to have this post being her 88 somethig post might be considered as a symbol of starting over. I don't know, maybe you shouldn't mind me.

According to Juan Eduardo Cirlot, in his "Symbols Dictionary", the number 8 is the mix of the square and the circle (representing eternity), and for that reason it represents regeneration. It was considered, during the Middle Ages as a symbol of the baptsimal waters. It is also associated to the Ourobouros, because it looks like the snake bitting its own tail. This is considered to be the dpiritual and natural potentials that every being possesses. Perhaps, 88, as a dual, embodies these ideas. Perhaps... to have this post being her 88 somethig post might be considered a symbol of starting over. I don't know, maybe you shouldn't mind me.

But 8 is lucky in Eastern Culture, 7 is lucky in Western Culture.
It is similar with unlucky numbers: the western unlucky number is 1 less.
14 is unlucky in Eastern Culture, 13 is unlucky in western culture

But 8 is lucky in Eastern Culture, 7 is lucky in Western Culture.
It is similar with unlucky numbers: the western unlucky number is 1 less.
14 is unlucky in Eastern Culture, 13 is unlucky in western culture

I guess these theories depend of how, when and from where (culture-wise) you look at them. In Spanish we say: Todo depende del cristal con que se mire. Meaning, it all depends with the glass with which you look at things.

Good job. Now go for 10000? :D