Luck vs. Entitlement

Chinese people and its culture relies on luck a lot. A lot of celebratory greetings are “I hope you have lots of fortune (luck and wealth)”, if you escape death you say “good luck, good luck”, etc. Going to fortune tellers often means they tell you what to do to bring good luck to you (wear red, put a table here, etc.)

Gambling is another thing. Chinese people love gambling, and love to beat the odds. Only luck can allow you to beat the statistical odds, right? Lots of weird superstitions like, don’t pat someone’s shoulders while they’re gambling, or accusing dealers or other players of giving them bad luck. The God of Gamblers movie is a cultural phenomenon. (This guy can always win. He can change cards, he can read people’s minds. Sure, a lot of it is skill. But he’s beaten luck. Or maybe luck’s on his side.)

The other day I was telling Tommy how I like my uncle’s wife, she’s a pretty cool chick, and that he’s a lucky guy. But I just realized that by saying he’s a lucky guy, I implied that he doesn’t deserve her. If he deserved her, I’d have said, “Of course he got his wife, he deserves at least that good of a woman.”

So luck implies a lack of deservedness, the opposite of entitlement. You’re beating the odds. You’re not supposed to get this result, but you got it anyway.

In the Chinese culture of always relying on luck, on always wishing each other good luck, doesn’t this imply that Chinese people don’t think they deserve anything? That they don’t deserve riches, but hopefully they’ll get lucky and strike it rich anyway. That they don’t deserve a beautiful, smart, sexy wife, but they’ll get one anyway.