February 23, 2012
Canadian Couple Redefines What Winning the Lottery Means
What would you do if you won more than 10 million dollars? It’s a fantasy many people pursue by purchasing lottery tickets in the belief that winning would be a dream come true. But too often, that dream turns into a waking nightmare. People hit the jackpot, and then the jackpot hits them back.
There’s a saying, “You can’t buy happiness,” which is not entirely true. Money can buy a heap of Level 1 pleasure, either licit or illicit. In ample amounts, it can finance the Level 2 happiness of power, advantage, and status. But if your definition of happiness stops at Level 2 and goes no higher, wealth can also purchase abundant misery.
That’s why if you Google “lottery winner horror stories,” you’ll find a trove of tales with dismal endings. Yesterday’s winners morph from people who thought their ship had come in to people drowning in oceans of conflict, divorce, bad decisions, addiction, and debt. “Nine out of 10 people don’t handle it well,” says Don McNay, a financial advisor who works with lottery winners and others burdened by sudden wealth. “People think that money cures problems, but it really magnifies them.”
I’m familiar with such stories because they were mentioned in the Journey to Excellence program when I took it several years ago. The point wasn’t to cluck at other people’s misery or folly but to demonstrate that happiness rooted in things or mere advantage is far more likely to crash and burn than happiness anchored in helping others.
Living Small, Giving Large
I recalled these examples recently in response to a heartening story out of Canada. Allen and Violet Large of Nova Scotia, an older couple in their 70s, won $11 million in the Atlantic Lottery. The Larges were not living large when they hit the jackpot. They drove a five-year old truck and a 13-year-old car. Their old rural house lacked modern conveniences like an answering machine and a microwave oven. In other words, “We were pretty well set,” said Allen. “Not millionaires, but comfortable.”
So comfortable, in fact, that they viewed their winnings as more of a “headache” than a windfall. So they made the decision shortly after receiving the money to give it all away. They made significant gifts to numerous groups, including the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, cancer and Alzheimer’s charities, hospitals, local churches and cemeteries, and the fire department.
“We wanted to look after our community and make sure they all had some,” said Allen. Violet added, “It made us feel good, and there's so much good being done with that money.”
They kept two percent of the money for their future needs, not for splurging. “We haven’t spent even one penny on ourselves,” said Violet. “Why spend money when you already have everything you need?”
“That money that we won was nothing,” Allen said. “We have each other."
The Large’s decision goes back to the question raised at the start of this column: What would you do with the money if you hit the jackpot? I’m not suggesting that every lottery winner needs to emulate the Larges. But our response to such questions is a pretty good barometer of how happy we are and how we define that word.
– John Keenan, Editor
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Last changed: Dec 16 2010 at 10:52 AM