Monday, June 14, 2010

The Probability Game

A lot of my day to day tranquillity, I owe to the reassuring science of probability.


Sitting right now, writing this post on the computer, within the safe cocoon of my home office, in serene middle class neighborhood of small town in Bay Area, with all my loved ones within earshot, what are the odds that death shall strike any time soon? My feeling is, almost null. Of course, there is always the possibility of a major earthquake, but last time I checked, the USGS prediction was a 62% chance within next 30 years. I can't think that far ahead. 

2 comments:

  1. Before I got sober, I was also a degenerate gambler, so I loved probability, I didn't pay attention to it, but.... After I got sober and started training seriously (not always clearheadedly), in Buddhism, for some reason I became much more aware of possibility.
    Which is always in the now. Anything is possible, neh?
    That can be reassuring or scary. I say that, deliciously, it is both.

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  2. Yes, indeed. What is fascinating is how much we base many of our actions on probabilities. Only, we do so unconsciously, for the most part.

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