By Pierre Ratte
Dice. Gambling. Chance. A few things generally associated with less attractive endeavors, less constructive decision making, less than optimal outcomes. Why leave it to chance?
In times past, leaving decisions to chance was not unusual. Germanic tribes and ancient Roman and Hebrew cultures cast lots to make decisions. The practice is mentioned over 85 times in the Bible. In a famous instance, Judas’ replacement was chosen by lot. A less-appreciated underpinning of this practice is that all persons “in the room” accept the decision that is made by chance. Acceptance of a chance outcome, a priori, puts ego aside. It puts knowing the best way forward on hold, allowing a group to coalesce and remain bound despite outcome and consequence.
Casting votes is not casting lots, but the Founding Fathers saw wisdom in letting chance have its way in governing a nation “of the people, by the people, for the people” at a time when commonplace wisdom had the most able, most divine, ruler rule. Writing without the outcome of the 2024 presidential election known, perhaps there is wisdom of the ancients and our forefathers contained in the underpinning of a chancy, dicey, process.
Fun Facts: “Of the people, by the people, for the people” was first spoken by President Lincoln on Nov. 19, 1863, in his Gettysburg Address. The address was given while this nation was divided by Civil War. In the first sentence are these words: “…a nation dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” And in the last sentence: “…shall not perish from the earth.” The Gettysburg Address has 10 sentences.
Chance, the name of Peter Sellers’ character in the movie Being There, becomes Chauncey Gardner through a chance meeting with Shirley McClaine’s character, Eve Rand. Though naïve in the extreme, Chance’s advice resonates: “There are spring and summer, but there are also fall and winter. And then spring and summer again. As long as the roots are not severed, all is well and all will be well.”Being There, based on a novel by Jerzy Kosinski published in 1971, was released in 1979 and grossed $30 million. In the last line of the movie, the president says, “Life is a state of mind,” as Chauncy Gardner walks on water and the credits run.
