Thursday, January 14, 2016

Losing the Lottery


I did not win the recent Powerball jackpot. Partly this is because I did not buy a ticket, and as we all know, you gotta play to win. But one two-dollar ticket would not have done it this time; turns out the winner spent $30,000 on 15,000 tickets! Already a millionaire, the 27-year-old California hedge fund manager is now far richer than he already was.

For reasons I can't explain, this pisses me off. It seems like the winner should have been someone struggling to pay their bills, or maybe someone with seven kids, three of whom are chronically ill.

Once again I am reminded of the searing and unforgettable portrayal of life's inequities as described by Shirley Jackson in her short story, "The Lottery." First published in The New Yorker in 1948, it never ages. If you've never read it, do so immediately. If you already have, read it again. It will make you feel a lot better about losing.

1 comment:

  1. I do agree with you. But it's a common knowledge that life is an unfair thing. I bought 10 tickets online, Icelotto review, for that draw, won nothing... Thanks for advising "The Lottery" story it is till topical.

    ReplyDelete

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