Some thoughts on the importance of buying lottery tickets #fb
April 24 2010, 7:11 AM
I thought this yesterday when something promising happened at work and I
thought: if this works out, it will be really good!! I left the day
excited, happy, looking forward to the future. In short, I was hopeful. Now
there is a good chance it won't happen, but that, strangely, gives those
feelings more power. I don't buy lottery tickets often, save for the really big jackpots. But
when I do, I find myself having the same feelings. Having the ticket
inspires my thinking and bends them towards the positive. This feeling can
last for days. I know I won't win, likely. But I can suspend that disbelief
in order to enjoy the positive feeling. In many ways it is similar to buy a movie ticket or a theatre ticket to
watch a performance. You suspend your belief in order (usually) to enjoy
the feelings and ideas you take away from the performance. That ticket
doesn't enhance your life materially. But it does make your life better in
a lot of ways. A lottery ticket is the same. It is very unlikely to benefit you materially
(though sometimes it will). But it can allow your imagination to soar, your
spirits to be lifted, and your thinking to turn towards the positive. You
can imagine taking trips to far away places, living in better surroundings,
and helping people you love. If you pay attention, it can help you realize
what is important to you and what you love (and what you do not). A lottery
ticket can do many things, including providing a low cost insight into your
own thinking (much cheaper than psychotherapy). It has been said that lottery tickets are a tax on stupid people. I think
that is short sighted and condescending. Most people who buy tickets know
the odds. If anything, that makes it better. There is something
transformative in hoping against great odds. What is religion and belief,
if not the greatest of all hopes? The simple will to believe, to hope that
our lives can be better, that will can uplift us and remove us from the
ruts we are trapped in. My son is 8. He likes Justin Bieber and he wanted to buy his CD because
there was a golden ticket in one CD and the winner of the golden ticket
gets a person visit from the Biebster himself. (This is devilishly good
marketing taken right from Willy Wonka's playbook). We had a great chat
about this beforehand. I tried to balance his excitement about the idea of
it with the fact that it would be very tough to win it. I also told him
that even if he didn't win, he would still have the CD and that would be
good. For some adults, they might say: you shouldn't let him get all
excited for nothing. But to me, the ability to be hopeful is like a muscle:
if you don't exercise it, it atrophies. I want him to have an awareness of
the world and despite all its limitations and setbacks, I want him to be
capable of being hopeful. The capability of being hopeful is the treasure
left in Pandora's box. It is a something we should treasure, among the many
gifts that we, as human beings, possess. Anyway, these are some things that I thought on a slow Saturday morning and
that I hacked together on my Blackberry while lying on my couch. Thanks for
reading it. And
-----------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Handheld.
thought: if this works out, it will be really good!! I left the day
excited, happy, looking forward to the future. In short, I was hopeful. Now
there is a good chance it won't happen, but that, strangely, gives those
feelings more power. I don't buy lottery tickets often, save for the really big jackpots. But
when I do, I find myself having the same feelings. Having the ticket
inspires my thinking and bends them towards the positive. This feeling can
last for days. I know I won't win, likely. But I can suspend that disbelief
in order to enjoy the positive feeling. In many ways it is similar to buy a movie ticket or a theatre ticket to
watch a performance. You suspend your belief in order (usually) to enjoy
the feelings and ideas you take away from the performance. That ticket
doesn't enhance your life materially. But it does make your life better in
a lot of ways. A lottery ticket is the same. It is very unlikely to benefit you materially
(though sometimes it will). But it can allow your imagination to soar, your
spirits to be lifted, and your thinking to turn towards the positive. You
can imagine taking trips to far away places, living in better surroundings,
and helping people you love. If you pay attention, it can help you realize
what is important to you and what you love (and what you do not). A lottery
ticket can do many things, including providing a low cost insight into your
own thinking (much cheaper than psychotherapy). It has been said that lottery tickets are a tax on stupid people. I think
that is short sighted and condescending. Most people who buy tickets know
the odds. If anything, that makes it better. There is something
transformative in hoping against great odds. What is religion and belief,
if not the greatest of all hopes? The simple will to believe, to hope that
our lives can be better, that will can uplift us and remove us from the
ruts we are trapped in. My son is 8. He likes Justin Bieber and he wanted to buy his CD because
there was a golden ticket in one CD and the winner of the golden ticket
gets a person visit from the Biebster himself. (This is devilishly good
marketing taken right from Willy Wonka's playbook). We had a great chat
about this beforehand. I tried to balance his excitement about the idea of
it with the fact that it would be very tough to win it. I also told him
that even if he didn't win, he would still have the CD and that would be
good. For some adults, they might say: you shouldn't let him get all
excited for nothing. But to me, the ability to be hopeful is like a muscle:
if you don't exercise it, it atrophies. I want him to have an awareness of
the world and despite all its limitations and setbacks, I want him to be
capable of being hopeful. The capability of being hopeful is the treasure
left in Pandora's box. It is a something we should treasure, among the many
gifts that we, as human beings, possess. Anyway, these are some things that I thought on a slow Saturday morning and
that I hacked together on my Blackberry while lying on my couch. Thanks for
reading it. And
-----------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Handheld.
358 views and 2 responses
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Apr 24 2010, 7:28 AMTom Plaskon responded:For the longest time I could not understand people who bought lottery tickets. However, I have come to understand that for the average working person winning the lottery is one of the few ways he/she could make enough money to leave the working world. The only other way I can think of is starting your own company and having it being bought out. I wonder if the chances of that happening are better or worse than winning the lottery.
Good luck, Bernie.
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Apr 24 2010, 8:07 AMBernie Michalik responded:Thanks, Tom! I will tell you about it on the other side of the firewall! :) As for lottery tickets, I would encourage people to think about tickets and what they promise. It's a shame that more and more tickets are electronic or poorly made. Tickets should be special. There is hope in a ticket. A plane ticket can promise adventure. A theatre ticket to a special performance can promise the thrill of a lifetime. And a lottery ticket can promise life transforming events. I think that promise and that hope is special, and tickets should acknowledge that.
Perhaps that's just the way I am. I am more Spongebob than Squidward. LOL! But I resolve to work to remain and be hopeful. For if we do, then, to quote Dr Seuss, Oh the Places We Go!