Lots of luck.

• Author: Kreyche, Gerald F.
• Position: Parting Thoughts - Column

"BORN TO LOSE" is a country and western song popularized by Johnny Cash. Like many songs, this one seems to reveal certain truths about life, making one ask in this case, "Are some persons born losers?" In a similar vein, are there people who are genuinely lucky? I believe all of us know both varieties. Luck, then, seems to involve point and counterpoint that makes us question its meaning and reality, whether it be bad or good luck.

Folk sayings certainly preach luck as an important part of life. A German one translates as "The dumbest farmers grow the biggest potatoes." Others include "Some people could fall into a bucket of garbage and still come out smelling like roses" and "Gold is where you find it." Supposedly, there are lucky numbers, such as 7 or 11 in the dice game Craps (depending on when they show up). There also are unlucky numbers, such as 13. This may be associated with the gallows, which commonly had 13 steps. A great number of hotels, like the Palmer House in Chicago, even skip the 13th floor, going directly from 12 to 14, though the truly superstitious don't fall for such a ploy.

Many believe that certain actions will produce bad or good luck. Otherwise highly rational, some people will avoid walking under a ladder or worry at breaking a mirror or having a bird fly into one's house window. To thwart the consequences of these events, they might throw a pinch of salt over their left shoulder. Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest believe that to hear the hoot of an owl is a bad omen that strongly suggests one will die soon. Philosophers believe that the bird signifies wisdom. In 1868, in eastern Colorado, Cheyenne Indians at the Battle of Beecher Island were led by their chief, Roman Nose. The Indians were many and the soldiers few, but Roman Nose was killed in a charge against the soldiers who were dug in. His medicine was bad that day, and his death was accounted for by his fellow warriors by the fact that, before the battle, he broke a taboo without purifying himself. Whites might call this superstition, but, as the saying goes, one man's religion is another man's superstition.

All of us have been to a potluck supper, which implies that the meal will consist of a variety of foods brought by different people. Sometimes it is a great meal, but sometimes it isn't. (Maybe someone might even bring the breakfast cereal known as Lucky Charms.) Often, we don't realize how much luck is a part of everyday language, as...