Bad things happen to good people, and even sh*t-heads can win the random spins. It's funny how we westerners have only latched onto a small part, a very small part of what karma is... cum-uppance, goes round comes round. One thing I know from past experience about karma... if I respond to fear and anger with love and compassion I am content, and the person I am interacting with is usually no longer angry or afraid. I created good karma... weeeeee!
Life is not fair, and we got nothing comin from it. I see the glass completely full even if half of it is air and the other half water. Being from the States I have been very fortunate in terms of food, shelter, security, and coming from a loving family I was fortunate that way as well. I've had disaster, calamity, crisis and opportunity in full measures, and other than direct cause and effect situations <put hand on burner, get burned> none of those things are related to each other even in the cosmic scheme of things.
Everything happens for a reason. Yip, and the
reason is that all conditions were right, period. I didn't get a flat tire because some awesome force wanted me to be late for work resulting in a better job, I got a flat tire because some assh*le didn't tie his load down and I hit his rubbish.
Serendipity is not luck. It is opportunity... if I'm aware, and all the conditions are right to avail myself of the opportunity, I will. If I think I'm not lucky, or just a loser, or do not deserve the opportunity or am somehow otherwise not worthy of it, well it'll just be another missed boat.
Perception, awareness, and self image will determine whether I am lucky, so-so lucky, or jinxed. But when it comes to gambling? ... luck of the draw, know when to quit, throw big sometimes with profit. If I play within a budget and am content with the journey, I can't lose, and can possibly be very lucky.
That's my 2c adjusted for inflation.