Jackie Robinson Eulogy

                 Jackie Robinson will never be forgotten in the baseball world. However, Jackie should be remembered by everyone as a shining example of tremendous courage and restraint in the face of vile oppression and disgusting racism. Jackie not only made baseball a better place, he made the world a better place.
                 I remember when I was 12 I went to Cooperstown for a baseball tournament. I had always been appreciative of baseball, and so of course I knew prior to my trip to the Hall of Fame who Jackie Robinson was. However, I had absolutely no idea the obstacles he faced as the first African-American baseball player in the MLB. When I saw his plaque in the HOF, I immediately became obsessed with finding more information on just who Jackie Robinson was. Before we departed from Cooperstown, I had acquired a Jackie Robinson jersey, a Brooklyn Dodgers hat, and a thick book about Robinson chronicling the plethora of challenges Jackie faced.
               A few years later the movie 42 came out. It put images to the horrifying facts I had researched about Jackie's experiences. After watching 42, I do not think anyone could not possess a gargantuan amount of respect for this extraordinary man.
              Facing a world of racism and oppression, Jackie persevered through it all. He is truly an example for everyone of how if you want something bad enough, no one can stop you from getting it. Above all, Jackie had a burning desire to prove his opponents wrong. Jackie wanted, and had, to prove that he and his race were every bit as equal as any other race. Jackie should not only be remembered for the skills he possessed on the field, but also for the skills he possessed in himself. In the future, I hope everyone can be a little more like Jackie.

My Spring Break

Unfortunately, I did not go anywhere this year for spring break. However, it was still nice to have some time off from school. I was very busy with baseball, having practice or a game almost every day. When I wasn't playing baseball, I was hanging out with my friends or just relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather. I also took an important step forward for my future as I took the SAT. From now until the end of the school year I hope to keep up my grades while keeping my stress level down and having a lot of fun with my friends in the process.

My Essay on Luck

Landon Goldberg

Mrs. Heisler

AP English

8 February 2014

Is there Luck?

            Some people are just lucky. Or at least that is what the majority of the world seems to think. I have yet to encounter a person who does not have at least some sort of belief in luck. Luck is an almost universally used term, yet I doubt many could even conjure up a definition for luck if pressed for one. According to Noah Webster's dictionary, luck is "a purposeless, unpredictable and uncontrollable force that shapes events favorably or unfavorably for an individual, group or cause.”  Luck in essence is a force out of one’s control that causes a positive or negative outcome for that person. However, since a person is in control of their life, one can argue there is no such thing as luck.

            The English noun luck first comes into use in the 1480s from an adaptation of the Dutch word luk and the old Slavic word lukyj meaning appointed by destiny. Before the word luck, people would use the word speed to represent the notion of good fortune.  Luck is somewhat synonymous with chance and probability. However, luck differs slightly from both in the sense that luck can be good or bad, luck can be accident or chance, and luck only happens to a human being.

            Luck has a strong connotation in the gambling world. Many gamblers believe themselves to be lucky or unlucky when it comes to games such as craps and roulette, and even games where skill is definitively a factor such as poker and blackjack. A study was done that shows that people who believe they have good luck generally have more success in their lives due to the added confidence they possess from believing they always have luck on their side. This is an important idea in gambling, as gamblers who believe they are lucky are willing to take bigger risks and bet more money. Luck and gambling have gone hand in hand since the term luck was instituted, yet gambling is not based on luck, it is based on probability.

            Luck shares a relationship with religion. Advocates of both believe some sort of unobservable outside force or entity intervenes in the world and awards or punishes people seemingly at random. Despite having little to no concrete evidence, people are convinced some sort of higher force or being interacts in their daily lives and is responsible for the successes and failures they endure. Both the religious and believers in luck are faithful in their convictions, and in order to understand luck better, one can look at how religious people believe. Christians believe luck does exist but ultimately that God has a grand plan and that everything will fall into place. Buddhists to the contrary, do not believe in luck and strictly preach against it. Muslims do not believe in luck as well, as they believe every action is awarded or punished in accordance with whether Allah agrees with it or not. Religion and luck ultimately share many similarities, and even most non-believers have some sort of belief in luck.

            Superstition and karma have also always surrounded luck. Almost everyone has heard of the superstition that if a person breaks a mirror, he or she is destined to have 7 years of bad luck. Other superstitions such as a black cat crossing one’s path and stepping under a ladder are also supposed to elicit bad luck. On the other hand, picking up a penny is supposed to give one good luck. Are any of these superstitions true, or even verifiable? No, but that does not stop people from fanatically believing in them. Karma also has to do with the principles of luck. Many Hindus, Buddhists, and people in general believe that whatever actions they take, they will be rewarded or punished equally in time. Luck is closely tied to superstition, as people will go out of their way to do things to garner good luck, or avoid bad luck.

            People describe highly unlikely occurrences as lucky or unlucky. For instance, a man getting struck by lightning could be considered unlucky. When examining the facts more closely however, the man had to have been outside during a lightning storm in order to get hit by lightning, and thus he was partially responsible for being struck. People like to bring up the lottery to prove the validity of luck. The lottery is a game of probability and still involves humans. In order to win the lottery, a person must buy a ticket. That is in their control. Naturally the more tickets a person has and the frequency in which the person buys tickets also can increase their chances of winning. Granted, the odds of winning the lottery are still immensely stacked against any one individual from winning on any one particular day. However, by playing long enough and by buying enough tickets, one is almost mathematically assured of winning at least a small pot. This idea of winning against the odds is constantly described as being lucky. And I suppose if one looks at luck as simply a noun to describe something highly improbable that happens, then that is an acceptable and correct usage of the word.

            Contracting cancer is another example proponents of luck use to try to prove their point. Why do seemingly young, healthy children get cancer? Are they just unlucky? Science would say no. Genetics are a gargantuan factor in who contracts cancer. On top of genetics, there are a plethora of environmental factors that could contribute to otherwise healthy children contracting this deadly illness. Another example of supposed luck constantly thrown out there? Finding a $100 bill on the ground. A person dropped that bill at one point, and another person later picked it up. I see no outside force involved. I do not believe luck the noun exists in any sense of the word.

            Luck is not chance. It is not improbability. Luck is not, “a purposeless, unpredictable and uncontrollable force that shapes events favorably or unfavorably for an individual, group or cause.” Luck is nothing. It does not exist. Empirical forces cause things to happen. That is it. Behind every cause there is an effect. Behind every action, there is a reason. Once people realize luck is a figment of their imagination, they can start empowering themselves instead of waiting for an indescribable outside force to do it for them.

Works Cited

“Luck” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 9 Feb. 2015. <http://www.merriam-            webster.com/dictionary/luck>.

"Luck." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 9 Feb. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luck>.

             

Blog Title Reasoning

I picked my blog title to be "The 4th Quarter" due to the content that will be displayed on this blog. This blog will chronicle everything going on at Notre Dame Preparatory during this 4th quarter as well as give updates and analysis on notable sports and sporting events such as March Madness and the beginning of the baseball season. I have always loved sports of almost any kind, and I look forward to utilizing this blog as an avenue to discuss sports as well as the happenings at NDP.