Gambler and his motives.

Gambler and his motives

Gambling is a way of buying hope on credit. We are all the bonded salves of the management that issues the credit cards. To realize the completeness of our bondage we have only to remember that each of us owes his existence to the chancy colorization of two small fertile organisms; while an apparently chancy distribution of chromosomes, genes and hormones influences our sex, coloring, and deposition. We press on through life toward a death whose manner and date depend entirely on chance. During our womb-to-tomb progress we never stop gambling, for we cannot know the outcome of each of the many decisions we have to make every day; we can "hope for the best."

Even a man who sets out deliberately to free himself from the grip of chance is going to have a thin time. Her can stop smoking because of the risk of lung cancer; he can give up alcohol for fear of damaging his liver; he can stay indoors to avoid the hazards of travel; he can keep his money in an old sock to avoid the risk of losing it. But if he carries his apprehensions to logical conclusion he will atrophy in bed, while his risk-taking nephew grabs the sock, spends the money on riotous living, and dies happily at the age of 94. With chance, as with many things, there is little justice.

sensible people don't expect justice from chance. If they did, they would give up breeding children in a world that can't support them. They would not drink before driving or speed when sober; they would choose selfless leaders instead of maniacs. As it is, they propagate ad libitum, have a last drink for the road, and risk everything on the leadership of a Genghis Khan or a Hitler.