Intelligence or Luck? — Part 2
In the previous part, I demonstrated how crucial luck is.
Let’s continue, again, with an old tale:
There was a very poor man, working very hard from sunrise to sunset every day. One day he decided he had suffered enough and wanted to die. But before that, he wanted to try to pray to God to help him. He sought a secluded place for his prayer, and went into the woods.
As he was walking, he met a wolf. The wolf asked him what he was doing there, and the man replied: “I am so poor, I am going to pray to God to help me.”
The wolf said: “If you talk to him, please mention me — there is only grass here and a few rabbits I can eat from time to time — maybe he can help me too.”
The man agreed and continued on his way.
Then the man met a very beautiful woman, who asked him what he was doing there, and the man replied: “I am so poor, I am going to pray to God to help me.”
The woman said: “If you talk to him, please mention me — I am all alone here, yearning for love — maybe he can help me too.”
The man agreed and continued on his way.
Then the man met a tree, just over a river, that looked very dry. The tree asked the man what he was doing there, and the man replied: “I am so poor, I am going to pray to God to help me.”
The tree said: “If you talk to him, please mention me — I am just above the water but cannot get a single drop — maybe he can help me too.”
The man agreed and continued on his way.
The man reached the secluded place and started to pray. He described his hard life, and that he wished to die if God wouldn’t help. In the end he mentioned the wolf, the woman and the tree.
God heard and decided to help. “Hurry back to your life, luck will chase you from now on, and you will succeed.” He also gave him answers for the wolf, the woman and the tree.
The man got very excited and started running back home.
On his way back, he saw the tree, that asked him: “Did you talk to God about me?”
The man replied that he did, and that it was dry because underneath it were big pieces of gold blocking the water.
“Great! Then please dig them out so I can drink!” said the tree.
“I cannot, I am sorry,” replied the man, “I am in a hurry and luck is chasing me.”
Then he saw the woman who asked him: “Did you talk to God about me?”
The man replied that he did, and if she married the first man she saw, she would have a life full of love.
“So I am all alone here, and you’re all alone here, let’s marry and have lives full of love!” she replied.
“I cannot, I am sorry,” replied the man, “I am in a hurry and luck is chasing me.”
Then he saw the wolf, that asked him: “Did you talk to God about me?”
The man replied that he did, and it should eat the first man it saw, and wouldn’t be hungry for weeks.
The wolf jumped on him and ate him.
When luck arrives, it is not enough.
It’s required to have intelligence, in other words, to realize and seize opportunities, use learned knowledge, leverage connections with people, take action and make the most of it.
