Aside - Luck is no Lady

I recently went to an interview at Naval Reactors in Washington DC (which went well), and I observed that everybody that I talked to about it beforehand wished me "good luck". Everybody save one, that is, and naturally this exception caused me to pause and consider. I know I would have said good luck, but I would have hated it even as I said it. Good luck? I don't even believe in luck (the concept of random chance is incompatible with that of a sovereign God). And even if I did, what good does it do for me to wish it upon someone. The only function served by the phrase is to express some kind of good will and solidarity (and even that gets thrown out in bizarre situations we've all seen such as an individual wishing good luck to both sides in a sporting event). As it turns out, there's a much better alternative which is what my one exception said. Rather than an empty expression of her hope for my good fortune, she simply said that she'd pray for me. Now that is a meaningful and practical thing to say to someone, and having observed its clear advantages, I have resolved to strike the phrase "good luck" from my vocabulary.




Don't worry I haven't forgotten: more on operating systems next time...