Luck Is a Construct. Happiness Is Not.

<p>Alfred Nobel created the Nobel Prize near the end of his life as a public relations move. He&rsquo;d invented&nbsp;<a href="https://www.history.com/news/did-a-premature-obituary-inspire-the-nobel-prize" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">dynamite for mining</a>&nbsp;and construction. But people used it as a weapon, killing thousands, and earning him the label, &ldquo;The Merchant of Death&rdquo;.<br /> <br /> There was Alfred Binet, who invented the IQ test,&nbsp;<a href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/what-alfred-binet-and-maria-montessori-can-teach-us-about-intelligence/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">with the</a>&nbsp;intention of classifying children who need assistance. His test unintentionally fueled the eugenics movement and was a key tool for discrimination.<br /> <br /> There was Alfred Vanderbilt,&nbsp;<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=PGKer5c3dz0C&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;cad=0#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">who was one</a>&nbsp;of the world&rsquo;s wealthiest young men and most eligible bachelor. He narrowly avoided boarding the Titanic, canceling his trip at the last moment. Unfortunately, three years later, he boarded the Lusitania, which was sunk by German U-boats.</p> <p>And then there is my friend, Al.</p> <p>Al was a fellow swimmer. He was 6&#39;3, easygoing, and per my female friend &ldquo;handsome enough&rdquo;. He had a good sense of humor and straw-like brown hair that was ravaged by chlorine. Al had squeaked through high school and landed an athletic scholarship at our university.</p> <p>His father was a volatile alcoholic, the type who sings karaoke and is everyone&rsquo;s best friend in the first hour of drinking, and a belligerent monster for the remaining six.</p> <p><a href="https://seanjkernan.medium.com/luck-is-a-construct-happiness-is-not-dbc8d4a59bad">Visit Now</a></p>