Everyday Canvas

Beating the Odds

Prompt: What does it mean to against the odds and to beat them? Write anything you want about this.

=======

I heard of against all odds and I know of beating all odds, but I haven’t come across the way these two idioms are combined. Thus, I’ll take those one by one.

Against all odds means in spite of seeming very unlikely or with very low to almost non-existent probability.

Beating all odds is when a person succeeds at something that is impossible to accomplish.

In racing, the racers are given odds, especially where horse racing is concerned. These odds are calculated depending on the horse’s physical condition and previous wins.

When applied to people, it is when a hindrance or a problem is too difficult to overcome, but someone overcomes that obstacle and accomplishes what was deemed impossible. For example, the statistics say that people who are raised in slums are more likely to go to prison than college, but luckily, many have been overcoming those dreadful socioeconomic barriers, which are the odds behind the numbers those statistics show.

============

In Addition:

My great grandfather kept notebooks; in those notebooks, he noted, among other things, important lessons to be taught to his offspring. Although I never met him, I heard about him from my grandmother.

Yesterday, I decided to write notes in my blog on some of those lessons in that notebook, just maybe and once in a while.
Here’s one that I like:

“Do good to people who have caused you hurt or have done bad things to you. Causing or doing evil deeds to bad people is the work of the lowly. Defend yourself if you must, but don’t do anything violent on purpose or for revenge.
Good people only see what’s bad or shameful about themselves. They don’t shame or hurt others. Those who see the negatives in themselves and try to correct them are the receivers of grace.”