When you really think about it, why in the name of God do people keep gambling? I guess it’s the hope of earning easy money and getting rich at home by doing nothing, but the whole belief system is so crazy it’s not funny. The eternal laws of nature tell us that this is not true, but people still continue to pursue such things. This confuses me.
I have a friend who doesn’t have much money and has completely lost his luck (all in his own way). Yet he continues to buy lottery tickets every day, and has done so in the six years I have known him. He asked to borrow money a few days ago and I told him no and reminded him that he would have money if he didn’t play the lottery. He of course said, “It’s only a dollar a day for God’s sake!” I then said, “I realized it, but over the course of six years, it added up.” Then I counted. I told him that if he didn’t waste the money, he would have the money he asked me for. For God’s sake, it’s a little over $2000!
But someone who has a gambling mentality doesn’t want to hear bullshit like me spit out. They will of course be the next big winner. My friend keeps wasting her money on the lottery, and also continues to have no extra money to speak of. This is the nature of gambling, isn’t it? I guess if it was different from this, there would be no gambling. Mob realized all this years ago, and gave us the city of Las Vegas.
I quit drinking and smoking some time ago, and found the correlation between the two activities and gambling very interesting. It was as if all of this was meant to go together. I guess it all makes sense, because when I smoke I believe I will beat the odds and have no negative effects. Same with drinking. I never believed I would be the one to have a real effect from drinking. Then I woke up one day in the same place I was 10 years earlier!
When I’m drinking and smoking, I really like going to the local casino and putting some money into the machine. I used to tell myself (and others) that it was relaxing. Then, when I freed myself from the smog caused by alcohol and nicotine, I didn’t want to gamble anymore either. I suddenly realized the madness of wasting time on such things. I think Wilson Mizner said it best, when he said, “Gambling: The surefire way of getting nothing for something.” That’s about summing it up as well as everything I’ve ever heard.