Luck

Sunday night came with traditional German TV offerings...mostly the crime series Tatort, and at 9:45....came the traditional political chat show, which entices and draws a fair number of Germans every Sunday night.

The chat show is run by commentator Gunther Jauch.  You'd best describe Gunther as a combination of football's Terry Bradshaw (the common man on observations), CBS's Andy Rooney (a cynical wit at times), and Judge Judy (passing some direct words on all parties).

Last night was a rather odd piece that went off in a different direction.  It was an hour of fruitful discussion on "luck" or in some cases....the absence of "luck".

You had the mother who lost a son to cancer, who talked about the luck involved and the changes in perception of life.  You had the young guy who screwed up a physical act on Wetten, Dass and became paralyzed.  You had the older woman, who as a teenager, fell out of a plane as it was coming apart and was the only survivor of a crash.....basically walking out of a Peruvian jungle after ten days.

Luck was examined in a hundred different ways.

I'm guessing some folks were a bit amazed by the talk and where this all led.  Germans are a tough bunch of folks, who often fall into a run of bad luck, and it weighs heavily upon their mind for the rest of their lives.  Some see through the run of bad luck, and just accept the consequences.  Some saw the bad luck as a motivator or a way to a better life.

It was an odd show.  Prime time.  Typically a show that talks about the bad NSA guys, German welfare, the eternal tax reform gimmick, electricity costs, or dimwitted students.  But for one brief hour, they talked over how we are all affected by luck or the absence of luck.

At one point, it kinda got pointed out that money doesn't change luck.  Then it got pointed out that bad luck can lead onto a better life.  Someone sat and led on the topic of how bad luck makes you appreciate good luck even more.

It's hard to say if any American network.....even CNN....could run a full hour and leave viewers in a vision of appreciation of luck.  But last night....ARD's one-hour show did a pretty good job.