The Luck of Being Born

In my reading of Leaves of Grass I found a very significant quote that made me think "Has any one supposed it lucky to be born?

I hasten to inform him or her, it is just as lucky to die, and I know it." This is an extremely significant question to ask to oneself, to the universe. it has crossed my mind now for over 100 times in my life the reason for my existence in this earth. Is it luck? Was it chance? The possibilities of me not standing here, breathing, writing, living are extremely big. I could not be alive. With this I must disagree with Whitman, for it is pure luck to be born. So many misfortunes that could happen, there is just a small chance of being born the way you are. The number of people versus the chances of our parents getting together, and that magically you are slapped together into what you see today in the mirror. He made me question the possibility of fate. If my chances of existing are so slim then there must be purposed behind my existance. He is probably trying to give that idea that everything is controlled by fate, we are born and we die because it is inevitable. Although the fact we are here is very likely just luck I do understand why Whitman says this. The alternatives are so great and the possibility of things existing the way they do is so small that believing in fate is a logical choice. We have to trust the ways of the universe, or else we don't have a choice of existing.