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Lessons from the Past 132: Bad Luck, Destiny, or Hand of God?
Walter Vieira 11 July 2025
Life
A note from my friend Ken in Bengaluru narrated the story of Winston Churchill, who once raised his glass and said, “I prefer not to wish anyone health or wealth, but only luck. Because most people on the Titanic were both healthy and rich, but very few of them were lucky.”
 
It certainly makes you think…
 
About the senior executive who survived the 9/11 attack because his son had to be taken to his first day of kindergarten. And another man who lived because it was his turn to grab doughnuts, while someone else was late because of a New Jersey traffic jam. An alarm that didn’t go off, a missed bus, a car that wouldn’t start, and no cabs available – all reasons why people didn’t die that day. 
 
But the story that struck me most? A man who wore new shoes to work. On his way, his feet hurt, so he stopped at a pharmacy to buy band-aids. Those few minutes were what saved his life.
 
When I read Ken’s note, I thought back to my final exams for my pharmacy degree in Ahmedabad – the current scene of such tragic loss. I had to do a three-hour pharmacology lab experiment, which involved checking the effect of a solution on the heart of a frog. Each student had to pick out a frog from a large drum – simply stick a hand in, pull out a frog, and take it to your lab table. 
 
When I brought the frog to my table, I found that it was already dead. But there was no second chance. You could only pick one frog, and if the one you picked was already dead – too bad for you. I pleaded with the exam supervisor, but it was all in vain – the rules are the rules, he said. 
 
So, I tried to pump the frog’s heart and pushed some more solution into its body. These were desperate measures that I knew would not bring any success, but I thought it would be better than walking out and spending two and a half hours in the corridor until my classmates had finished. 
 
Then, at the end of an hour, there was an announcement that the lab assistant had forgotten to add digitalis to the solution, so no one was getting results. There was also no time to start the experiment with a fresh solution, as the external examiners from Mumbai and Delhi had to leave that evening. 
 
It was decided that each student would have a ‘viva’, a verbal exam, with the three examiners, and be graded accordingly. The result? I had the highest marks in the college for this exam. More importantly, I did not have to repeat another year and could move on with my life and my career.
 
Was it destiny? Was it luck? Or was it the hand of God?
 
Another time, I was to take a flight from Mumbai to Bengaluru to attend a conference. The event was taking place on Thursday and Friday, so my wife and I planned to leave on Wednesday and spend the evening with friends in Bengaluru. On the Monday of that week, a client in Hyderabad rang to request that I help deal with an emergency. I offered to stop by on my way back from Bengaluru, but he said the matter could not wait – could I stop by on the way to Bengaluru instead? I agreed, planning to spend Tuesday and Wednesday in Hyderabad, and then travelling onwards to Bengaluru. My wife also changed her travel plans to leave only on Thursday morning. 
 
On Wednesday, I found that the flight from Hyderabad to Bengaluru was delayed by over two hours. Just before take-off, I heard through some of the passengers that the delay was caused by a flight from Bombay to Bengaluru which had crashed at Bengaluru airport, and more than half the passengers on board had died. It was the flight my wife and I were supposed to be on. Had we travelled as planned, we would not be around now, 25 years later, to tell the tale.
 
Just good luck? Destiny? I would like to describe it as the hand of God. And a blessing!
 
I have lived through many similar situations over a long life of more than 80 years. And because of these incidents, I think differently about supposed inconveniences or delays. Now, when I am stuck in traffic, when I miss the elevator, when I forget something and have to turn back, or when my morning just doesn’t go as planned, I try to pause and trust that the delay is not a setback, but divine timing. 
 
Maybe I am exactly where I am meant to be!
 
You may also want to read other articles written by the author. Here is the link https://moneylife.in/author/walter-vieira.html
 
(Walter Vieira is a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants of India - FIMC. He was a successful corporate executive for 14 years, capping his career as Head of marketing for a Pharma multinational, for India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka- and then pioneered marketing consulting in India in 1975. As a consultant, he has worked across four continents. He was the first Asian elected Chairman of ICMCI, the world apex body of consultants in 45 countries, in 1997. He is the author of 16 books, a business columnist, international conference speaker and has been visiting professor in Marketing in the US, Europe, and Asia for over 40 years. He was awarded Lifetime Achievement Award for Consulting in 2005, and for Marketing in 2009. He now spends much of his time in NGO work - Consumer Education and Research Centre, IDOBRO, and some others.)
Comments
iaminprabhu
8 months ago
It's just PROBABILITY that Billions survive & few Thousands die in tragedies! Then thise who SURVIVE create stories on LUCK while holding a glass of Alcohol or on Destiny or God favoring them!
Reply
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