Every living creature was entered into a lottery, the minute sperm and egg combined to create them.
We didn’t know it was a lottery, we didn’t know we had a ‘ticket’ – but it was, we did, and here we are, with our winning ticket in our hands.
The problem is … the prizes are not necessarily what we might have chosen or hoped to win. Some of us became animals, others, humans. Some of us were born in comfort, while others opened their newborn eyes in a war torn land.
Some were born, and perished in the same moment. Some were born with physical or mental defects that they and their families would have to deal with. There were many skin colours we could have received; some got the colours that worked well for them, within their society. Some were born with skin colours that did not guarantee a secure life.
Some received wonderful gifts – beauty, intelligence, skills that would serve them well. Others, often through no fault of their own, were born with the potential to succeed, but in surroundings that would prevent that success ever happening.
Some were born to parents who wanted them, parents that could nurture their growth. Sadly .. many more were deprived that privilege.
Some lottery wins are more prized than others. We didn’t pick our tickets; we didn’t even know we were entered. But we are, nonetheless, playing our tickets, for better or for worse.
We tell ourselves, ‘it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.’
But we don’t all enter the game with the same protective equipment, or the same innate skills or abilities.
Is it fair to blame those players who still try to play – but who can’t compete through circumstances they ‘won’ in the lottery of conception?
frustratedboomers 
Although we may be born with a particular ticket, I believe that we have the capacity and are able in many circumstances to change that hand into a decisive factor. We see this every day in people who have overcome life challenges and went on to make a success of their lives. We are more than what we received at birth. Through grit and determination, we can make changes.
agreed, which is part of the point. It’s what we do with what we’ve got that defines us. I also believe that we must be aware of our own ‘winning’ circumstances, and understand that our blessings are no more than an accident of birth. Everyone does not get the same start in life. It requires empathy to take that truth into consideration in our dealings with each other.