Thursday, June 01, 2006
You Won the Lottery
Valencia Mueller stops at Wagner's Food Pride and buys a single lottery
Ticket. She wins. "I had trouble catching my breath," she says. "This only
Happens in dreams or in the movies, not in real life." I think she
overreacted.
Even if Valencia Mueller had won the ultimate payoff against odds of
54,979,155 to one, it would have been no big deal, because Valencia had
Already won a much bigger lottery against much greater odds. Valencia
Mueller had been born.
I asked Ryan J. Sokol of the statistics department at Texas A&M University
To calculate the odds of a specific individual being born. Ryan estimated
The total number of fertile men and women in the world, calculated the
Number of different genetic possibilities a man might contribute, adjusted
For the number of hours of female fertility each month, and then factored In
a long list of other considerations.
The bottom line of Ryan's lengthy report to me said, "The chance that you,
Meaning exactly you, would be born are 1 in 1.3 times ten to the twenty-
Ninth power." In other words, 130,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 to
One. You and I my friend, are two incredibly, amazingly, lucky people. We
Both won the genetic lottery!
Compared with the odds against being born, the odds are very good that you
Will be elected president of the United States. You have already won a
Lottery more amazing than human-kind could ever devise. You have already
Been awarded a prize far richer than anything the world has to give. You Are
alive. You are here. Make the most of it.
The finger of God never leaves identical fingerprints - Stanislaw Lec
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I
Sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations. Do not be afraid,
For I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord." -- Jeremiah 1: 5 & 8
Author Unknown
Ticket. She wins. "I had trouble catching my breath," she says. "This only
Happens in dreams or in the movies, not in real life." I think she
overreacted.
Even if Valencia Mueller had won the ultimate payoff against odds of
54,979,155 to one, it would have been no big deal, because Valencia had
Already won a much bigger lottery against much greater odds. Valencia
Mueller had been born.
I asked Ryan J. Sokol of the statistics department at Texas A&M University
To calculate the odds of a specific individual being born. Ryan estimated
The total number of fertile men and women in the world, calculated the
Number of different genetic possibilities a man might contribute, adjusted
For the number of hours of female fertility each month, and then factored In
a long list of other considerations.
The bottom line of Ryan's lengthy report to me said, "The chance that you,
Meaning exactly you, would be born are 1 in 1.3 times ten to the twenty-
Ninth power." In other words, 130,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 to
One. You and I my friend, are two incredibly, amazingly, lucky people. We
Both won the genetic lottery!
Compared with the odds against being born, the odds are very good that you
Will be elected president of the United States. You have already won a
Lottery more amazing than human-kind could ever devise. You have already
Been awarded a prize far richer than anything the world has to give. You Are
alive. You are here. Make the most of it.
The finger of God never leaves identical fingerprints - Stanislaw Lec
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I
Sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations. Do not be afraid,
For I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord." -- Jeremiah 1: 5 & 8
Author Unknown
