I have been reading a book recently about how we form bias’. It is interesting how many principles apply in philosophy that are reinforced by scientific study. There are two areas that we deal with as humans and we do so much better if we can sort them out. One is random events and the other is controlled events. The book had a chapter on how we see patterns, make associations and then form opinions. The interesting thing is that many times we think we see patterns when they are really random events.

Most people have heard of gamblers odds. If a person flipped a coin and had heads show up ten times, the odds of getting a heads on the eleventh time have not increased. It is still 50/50. Having children is the same way. No matter how many girls born to a person, the odds of having a boy never increase above that of the first time. Even in basketball, there really is no such a thing as a hot streak. A person shoots at a certain percentage and while that person might be hitting a few in a row, the overall odds are the same for hitting each shot.

Where this applies to real life is that sometimes people fail in business or a relationship because of bad breaks or random events. It doesn’t always mean that actions were made that sabotaged it. This brings us to controlled events; the areas where our decisions influence the outcome. Even in this area, people react in unpredictable ways to what we do and the turnout may still end up what we didn’t want to happen. So how do we sort this all out?

We are in control of our actions and and our habits. This is a great thing and we should savor the fact that we have rational minds and can react outside of instinct if we want to. We can have goals and passions to chase and really there is nothing that can stop our forward motion. Random events might put a pause for a time but as long as we stay confident and keep moving, all will be well. The foundation is that we depend on love and kindness as general principles to guide us when people don’t react the way we would like. We should avoid the pitfall of labeling things acts of God or Fate. It is good to recognize the originating force surrounding us but random events aren’t caused by them and it is up to us to deal with ramifications. We are perfectly capable and equipped for it. Don’t let the apocalyptic crowd effect you.

Study to understand principles that can be put into habit to minimize losses from random events. This works well in finances. Some people do happen to be at the right place at the right time and get wealth. But they will still have to follow good principles to keep it. Kids that inherit and those who parents set them up still have to follow the same principles of hard work as anyone else. We have all seen those who squander. But the principles of diligence hold for everyone regardless of what one has. Eventually we come out of it if we stay diligent.

In regard to age, there is never an time where a person should kick back, get fat, lazy and self indulge. Stress has proven to be a factor for the good toward longevity. We should always try new things, explore, be curious and learn from the world around us. Even if we don’t reach the summit, we should die happy clawing our way on the rocks enjoying the view along the way. A rock might fall, weather get bad, but we’re still going forward regardless what goes on around us.
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