Why I hate the lottery...
There has been alot of mis-information floating around about why I don't like the North Carolina State lottery. I'm here to try to set the record straight.
The fact is I hate the lottery, any state lottery actually.
It's true, I don't think people understand their true odds of winning. 1 : 146,107,968.00? Does the average person really know what that means? In short it means you are not going to win, period. But the people who play focus on the little ~1~ on the left of the equation and dream about what would happen if turned out to be them. And the lottery advertising is wise to play up the fact that 'You can't win if you don't play!'. I don't dispute that fact, it's true. Are the big, bad lottery companies wrong to prey on the human flaw that makes us believe that it is actually a good deal to forfiet $1 for the chance to win $60 Million? No, that is the nature of advertising, it happens every day with cars and teeth whitener and coffee. I don't like it but it's not why I hate the lottery.
I don't even hate the lottey companies... Sure they call it an "Education" lottery while only 1/3 of every $1 spent on tickets goes into a state bucket earmarked for schools. I think that's pretty rude but I've seen worse. I think they prey on people's insecurities to sell product but that is no worse than Nike selling a $200 pair of basketball sneakers so you can 'Be Like Mike' (completely glossing over the fact that to really be like Mike you would need to be born with superior ability, spend your whole life working to hone it and then have enough luck to be at the right place at the right time... probably easier just to wear his shoes). Business is business after all and the market doesn't support what the people don't demand right?
I have no beef with people dreaming about what they would do with tons of money, that is probably a healthy exercise and worth a dollar or two a week. The reason I hate the lottery is that people stop there. They believe that winning the lottery is the only way to reach the dreams they have. I attribute that to laziness and fear and it makes me cringe that millions of people would prove that every week. I know that is harsh. People (me included) are afraid to disect their dreams and make them into realistic goals, it is hard work and it forces you to look critically at yourself.
I dream of buying a Lamborghini after I win the lottery. Why? I have a perfectly good car now (that is paid-off thank you) that gives me very little trouble and is exceedingly fun to drive. What does owning an exotic sports car get me that my little VW doesn't? Admiration. Just imagine the looks I would get driving into work, or better yet, a club, in a black Diablo with bat wing doors. The women would be all over me and the men would be so jealous.... OK, wake up KP... my entire dream centers around making other people like me (at least on the surface), the car is about 10% of that dream and it's not even running, I'm just stepping out of it. Now stepping out of my black VW at a library isn't as aluring but if I go in and read to kids for an hour I bet they would really admire me and there would be a reason to.
My friend T. wants to win so he can retire without worries. What are these worries that weigh him down? What are his goals for retirement? I bet that there are ways to address his worries and plan a retirement that fulfill his dreams without winning the lottery. In fact I suspect that actually winning the lottery would add to his worries and lead to a less fulfilling retirement because he wouldn't be forced to take a hard look at what he really wants out of it.
My friend G. really wants to move to a mountain town so he can spend more time skiing in the winter. If he wins the lottery he thinks he will do it. What bothers me is that he can do it, this year. It would be work to make it happen but $$$ is not what's holding him back, not really. In fact I would hate to see what happens to him if he wins the lottery, I image him being a wreck because now there is no excuse for him to put off his dreams.
Am I above the lottery? No, I just don't think that winning the lottery would do anything for me. What do I want more than anything? More than a beach house and Ferrari in the driveway is a companion that understands me and we can share trust. Is winning the lottery going to help me meet someone I can trust? I think quite the contrary, winning a lottery would make me distrustful of everyone.
Personally I take great pride in managing the money I have. I give what I think I can to charities, I pay my debts, I work hard for the money I make and I'm careful about how I spend it. Working for the things I own make them valuable to me. All these things make me feel good about myself, I wouldn't want that taken away because a pile of money landed on my lap.
-KP
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1 comment:
Why I love the lottery...
Originally I was against the lottery because I basically was against the advertising and promotion that would have to be done to maintain interest in the lottery. However, so far it seems that North Carolina has found a nice medium that is not to intrusive or overwhelming.
Now why I love the lottery is because it is voluntary and if it would have come up for a vote to the North Carolina populace, it would have in all likelihood been voted in. In other words, we the people wanted it and the playing of the lottery is completely voluntary.
To me life is five things: money, eating, family/friends/relationships/recreation (non-work life), religion and working. I put working last because most people dislike working but understand they must work to get the first three. So, lets ‘work’ backwards:
Working – most people dislike it, but in society as a whole it is the only method that keeps society together. Read “The laziness of the lazy boy”. Now what you end up working at in your life and how much money that work makes for you is largely based on chance. Most people end up like their parents. Some do better, some do worst. I used the word chance here because it is like a lottery.
Religion – most people struggle with this. i.e. What is the meaning of life? But most people take the route of believing in the chance that there is an after life. I used the word chance here because it is like a lottery.
Family/Friends/Relationships/Recreation – this is a big list of things, but it is basically what you do when you are not working. Now who you do all these things with is really a chance thing based on many factors in your life. I used the word chance here because it is like a lottery.
Eating – the main desire of all life beings. Some people over do it, some people under do it, and all people must do it. How you handle it is based on your genetics and your family life, which is based on chance. I used the word chance here because it is like the lottery.
And finally Money – this is what makes most life experiences happen. It provides the ability to enjoy the time you have on this planet. It is very simple really, just like eating. Now some people are born with money, some people work for money, and some people have to be helped with money. Again it is up to chance. I used the word chance here because it is like a lottery.
As you can tell I am a believer in chance. Chance is not something that just happens; it is something that happens because you do something. If you never do anything you have no chance to succeed, win, have fun, etc. So, take a chance and play the lottery. You probably will not win, but you might and if you do there is a chance that you will not be able to handle the winnings, but there is a chance you will be able to handle the winnings and your life will be better in the end. It’s all a crap shoot really.
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