Obviously most people would like to win the lottery. Even as it’s entirely left up to chance, and the most minuscule at that, they know they can win. They dream of it. It gives them an escape, if only in their head until the numbers come up.
This Saturday, the big jackpot my Canada is $40 million, more than a dollar per resident. Somebodies are buying enough tickets for that money to be paid out, along with the lesser prizes for 5 out of 6 with the bonus and so on, while the lottery company still makes out on the deal.
I have never been happy to hear that anyone ever has hit a jackpot. I delight in finding out someone’s life was ruined by a big win, through frivolous expenditures, the inability to appease family and friends looking for handouts, and inevitable bankruptcy. They ridiculously believe that as their immediate money problems disappear, so will the rest of their issues. Which we know from history not to be true.
I’m sure I would never succumb to the same lives as the cautionary tales, because I have it all planned out. After I hit my numbas, I’ll wait a couple of months for the hype about the unclaimed winning ticket to die down and then pay a real good secret-keeper a small percentage to cash in the ticket for me. Once the money came in, I would respect the luck. I wouldn’t overdo it. I would use the windfall mainly to fund my creative ventures, to avoid work I do not want to do.
Is that what everyone says? Does everyone think their desire to win the lottery is mostly pure? They’ll help their sister pay her hospital bills. Will they really? Would I? I expect to win the lottery, even though I never play. Every week a new set of numbers is announced, and each time I’m disappointed again.