Y'all... history was made last week. The Powerball lottery hit a whopping...
(Seriously, if you don't understand this reference or find it humourous in the least bit, stop reading, find a freeway, and go play in it. Safely, of course.)
But let that sink in... It was one billion dollars! That's a whole lot of friggin' money! Just imagine all the things you could buy with that! You could pay for the rest of your schooling! Hell, you could buy the school! Like, maybe a house? Or, if a plain, old house isn't enough, you could buy a...
Possibilities are endless. Literally. You could probably make away with a small country if you invested it correctly. A million dollars is a lot of money. A billion is just unfathomable.
Houses, cars, yachts, vacations, debt.., there's so much you could cover. But, moreover, there's a couple things that all those singles couldn't have bought you.
Character. Yeah, I said it. All the money in the world, and character still isn't on the shelf at Target. Character is defined as, "the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual." This is pertinent to who we are as individuals; how we think, act, respond and coordinate ourselves. Our character can't be bought, and even more so, isn't just acquired. Character is taught, developed and carved-- and to be quite honest, if a moral sense of character wasn't developed pre-fortune, I honestly don't see it just magically *poofing* out of thin air.
Compassion. This is a huge point, in my opinion. Compassion and empathy take us far in life. We connect with other human beings this way. To me, philanthropy falls under this umbrella as well. Winning millions is all good and great for you, but what good is it, if you can't find joy in giving back and spreading the wealth? I thoroughly enjoy giving back, or even doing for others. I try to show empathy and I'd like to think I have a great sense of compassion. Once again, this characteristic wouldn't just appear, and can't be bought. I understand the need to do for yourself first, but empathize, show compassion and consider philanthropy... Or ya know, if you had won, I'd ask you that.
Class. Once again, this also cannot be bought, acquired or just picked up. All that money, and that still doesn't mean you're still not trash.
*GASPS PROFOUNDLY*
Yeah, yeah. I said this one, too. I'm not implying that everyone who didn't win the lottery is trash, I'm just suggesting that just because you come into money, doesn't make you any better of a person. I, personally, was always brought up to carry myself well, show respect, but also command respect. We're only as successful as we appear to be, and carrying yourself with the sense of class you aspire to, in my opinion, can take you just a wee bit further. Class isn't a sense of superiority... it's how you present and carry yourself. Come out of the gate with foul language, frumpy appearance and a horrid attitude, and the world just see's another person who got lucky.
Look, y'all, the lottery is an amazing thing. It was a giant hopeful wish, it was a waste of six whole dollars of mine that I'll never get back, but it's not everything. We're making it just fine without all of that money, and I think we'll do just fine now that it's over with and someone has finally won. But remember, the things in life that truly matter, can never be bought, and no amount of money can change that.
Go forth, do good, and be kind.
