In the Guardian yesterday, Marina Hyde described the National Lottery as a "tax on stupidity". Fortunately, I have never taken part in the lottery, so I could laugh at this.
Mind you, the reason I have never taken part is not a question of stupidity or otherwise. If you have a faith, I don't see the reason to take part in a lottery. I am sure that sounds sanctimonious, but there it is.
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It doesn't sound sanctimonious - but I don't quite follow the reasoning - please expand on this!
ReplyDeleteA tax on irrational hope might be a kinder, or maybe more sanctimonious, way of putting it.
ReplyDeleteBut I am puzzled - if you didn't have faith, why would that give you any more reason to play the lottery?
Hmmm, perhaps faith is a kind of irrational hope, and so the lottery is a tax on faith? Albeit faith of a different kind. So do you have a tax-free kind of faith? Or have I stretched this analogy way beyond breaking point?
Putting the occasional quid on the lottery isn't stupid - you may rationally know that you have almost no chance of winning, but enjoy taking the punt and recognise a portion of the money is going to good causes.
ReplyDeletePutting £20 a week on the thing however probably is borderline stupidity, certainly foolishness.
Thank you for those fascinating comments. Little did I think such a small posting would set off such erudite and voluminous comments.
ReplyDeleteJoe - I think you are probably right!
"If you didn't have faith, why would that give you any more reason to play the lottery?"....I have no idea. I have a faith so I don't know what I would do if I didn't have a faith.
I have never played the lottery because I feel I have already won the lottery. I have more than enough of everything - materially and, hopefully increasingly each day, spiritually, and I don't need any more.
To hope (albeit with odds worse than betting on Lord Lucan and Elvis Presley inflagrante landing in a UFO on top of the Eiffel Tower) that a wadge of money would make me any happier is to deny my extreme good fortune now.
I am reminded of Sir Jimmy Saville's comment:
"Money won't make you happy but you can be miserable in great comfort."
Paul, your contentment is enviable.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't play the lottery not because I think I have "enough" money, but because I'd rather not have less, and I recognise that gambling is a way of losing money - that people lose far more than they win overall.
I am a little concerned that your reasoning reinforces the perception that gambling is a way to make money.