I was thinking about time and chance... then I remembered there was a verse in the Bible about it. I looked it up, and checked for the meaning of the words. These are my thoughts about the verse... nothing conclusive, except that time and chance gives us all a level playing field.
I
have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or
the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to
the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time (a) and chance (b) happen to
them all. (Ecc 9:11 - NIV)
* time (a) is used in Ecc 3, saying there is a time for everything, (a) can also mean occasion.
* chance (b) refers to an event or occurrence.
[From: blueletterbible.org]
Applied to Ecc 9:11, events happen to us, and occasions are presented to all of us. Seemingly it is not in what we do, but in how we respond to these occasions that determine where we end up.
It may sound like causality, but we can prepare for such moments, and cease them when they arrive. Maybe an opportunist ceases more of these events, not the wise, nor the brilliant, nor the learned.
Yet time and change happen to them all... so why did some attain, and others did not? Clearly not because of their own merit... or maybe against their merit... but rather because of time and chance. This returns us to the idea that it may be in how we respond to time and chance... instead of our own merit.
This gives a sense that all have a level playing field... that there are no 'previously disadvantaged', no elitism, no 'favoured ones'... time and chance happen to all. Somehow this gives hopes to those that think they do not have what it takes, while also opening the back door to the 'elite' club. Anyone can go anywhere. All the doors are open - in their time.
Maybe we do have more freedom than we suppose... maybe all people have a level playing field... Maybe it is anyone's game... Maybe we were all created equal - given time and chance.