Category Archives: Reflections

by Raymond Alexander Kukkee [caption id="attachment_107" align="alignleft" width="584"] A Big Win would Ring Your Bell[/caption] The ticket numbers match.  The days fly by in a glorious daze, but  it finally dawns on you.  The reality.  Ding-ding-ding-ding.... You're happy.  You're exhilarated.  You're scared.  You can't even tell anyone.  Fantasy island. You daydream. you don't know what to do.  It must be luck.  You're rich. Don't wake up.  Let's pretend you have won the king of jackpots, the Powerball.  Only 316 Million dollars. Let's make that 453 Million since we're pretending big . See what greed does? I digress. Cars, boats, luxury homes, grand vacations. Wow. Lady Luck is shining upon you. Why did you win, --and not the family with the big mortgage and five kids down the street?   How about the homeless couple that sleeps under the bridge?  The farmer that is about to lose the family farm because crops have failed five  years in a row?  Is  winning based on need?  Apparently not. Luck? Is winning karma?   'Just reward'  for  some kindness, something  you have done for others, something that was wonderful?  Why did you win?   Why not the kindly, elderly gray-haired  grandmother that has raised seven children, 19 grandchildren,  has a wooden leg, and still volunteered, not missing a day at the hospital for the last 23 years? Did you  help her across the street during the last ice storm, or do something else special, anything to deserve the big win?  No? Would that help your luck?  Speak up. What's that, you say? Nothing?    No.  Not surprising. Winning the lottery--is it really luck?  How about the odds?  Did you buy one ticket, or ten?  Did that help?  If the odds are one in 50 million and you buy two tickets, wow, that's two chances in 50 million.  Still microscopic. Zilch, zip, still nothing.  There must be other forces at work. Predestiny?  The 'Official Plan', approved by God? Punishment?  A test of character to see what YOU will do?  Would you share the wealth?  Would you do something good with all that money, since  clearly you couldn't bother to  help the little old lady across the street in the ice storm before you got rich? The essential nature character of any individual  is more likely to remain constant than change. Old habits die hard. You can't teach an old dog new tricks and all that.  Maybe winning isn't as lucky as it might be. Maybe winning isn't luck at all. Perhaps  misfortune or even evil shall overtake. Winners get sick and die six months later.  Recently in the news a big lottery winner was found dead--the very next day. Apparently poisoned.  Cyanide.  Imagine that.  Sometimes bad things happen, but that's just a little too coincidental isn't it? We are compelled to ask. Let's give our heads a shake. Is winning  really luck? Is that incoming I hear?   [subscribe2] Photo © r.a.kukkee