Hitting the jackpot
Last week, Ed Nabors, a truck driver from Georgia, stepped forward to claim his Mega Millions winning of $390 million — the largest jackpot ever awarded. According to CNN, the probability of scoring the winning ticket was 1 in 176 million.
Wow, this guy must be the luckiest person on earth, I thought after hearing the news. His future is going to be perfect. If I had $390 million, I would be happy for the rest of my life. Heck, I’d be happy with $1 million.
But as I pondered the situation further, it occurred to me: Can money really buy happiness? There are all these stories of people whose lives have been ruined from winning the lottery. They developed drug addictions, bought expensive houses without thinking about property taxes, and constantly had to loan money to relatives and friends. In fact, studies show that 35 percent of lottery winners declare bankruptcy within 10 years of winning the lottery.
Hmm … so maybe hitting the jackpot isn’t such a great thing.
In 2002, Jack Whittaker, a man from West Virginia, won $314 million from the Powerball. At first, Jack nobly proclaimed that he would donate the money to charity and begin constructing new churches in his community. Citizens of his hometown hailed him as a hero. They even said that he should run for governor.
However, Jack’s life completely fell apart after what he thought was the best thing that ever happened to him. His relationship with his wife quickly deteriorated as he began visiting strip clubs, indulging himself with his newfound wealth. Friends and neighbors pestered him for money, and he was robbed multiple times. His granddaughter bought friends with the $5,000 allowance that Jack often gave her and became a drug addict. She eventually ran away and was found dead in the back of a beat-up van.
Despite the misfortune of many lottery winners, I still think that winning the lottery is a good thing provided that you invest and spend your money wisely. True, money won’t solve all of your problems, but being wealthy can certainly make you happier. I imagine that going on a shopping spree after having a bad day would cheer anybody up, at least to some degree.
— Elaine Gu