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What if you won the lottery

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What would you do if you won the lottery? Suppose for the purposes of this thread, your cash payout was $55 million dollars (with all the taxes and everything like that taken out). What would you do with it? Would you give any to your friends? Neighbors? Charity? Would you spend it all on yourself? Would you save it for future generations? Would you invest it? Would you spend it all within a few short years (which apparently happens to almost 90% of all lottery winners)?

Additionally, what would you think would be the philosophical implications of winning the lottery? For example, would the fact that you won the money (and have the money subsequently given to you) provide any sort difference compared to having that money earned in some sort of occupation? Simply, should you treat that money any differently because it was given to you rather than earned? But could you even consider the money that you won earned in some respects? There are many more implications, so by all means address this or any others that you can come up with.

I have my own super awesome scheme (note: I am really interested to hear your own schemes more than the philosophical implications LOL!), which I am waiting to share until others have posted their own ideas on how they would spend a $55 million dollar jackpot.

@VideCorSpoon,

I would endow chairs for the study of Nietzsche and for Heidegger at as many universities in the US, as I could, and spend the rest on single malt Scotch.

@jgweed,

jgweed;150986 wrote:

I would endow chairs for the study of Nietzsche and for Heidegger at as many universities in the US, as I could, and spend the rest on single malt Scotch.

Save your money and buy a reasonable Irish whisky , much better than any single scotch malt.

@VideCorSpoon,

jgweed;150986 wrote:

I would endow chairs for the study of Nietzsche and for Heidegger at as many universities in the US, as I could, and spend the rest on single malt Scotch.

xris;150989 wrote:

Save your money and buy a reasonable Irish whisky , much better than any single scotch malt.

I suppose it may be better to donate a large amount of the winnings to alcoholism addiction centers! LOL! Incidentally, I think this would also fit nicely into the future extended and vastly more popularized study of Nietzsche and Heidegger! LOL! I think I need a drink now.

@VideCorSpoon,

I think I would have to do what I could to help those around me. I don't believe much in big charities, I would find ways of helping the people with needs, in my own neighborhood.

Of course I would need some kind of ranch ,with a lake and plenty of toys .My friends would have jobs like holding down lawn furniture and such.

The only problem is I only buy a ticket ,like once every 10 years or so, I think CD's are a better investment ( poor as they are right now).

@VideCorSpoon,

I would open my own charter school for high school students. I would find students that want to be taught (or at least their parents) the way that students should be taught. High school should be about building character, not about learning how to pass standardized tests.

I would also probably start my own brewpub and grill, and hire my brother to be my brew master. He would create the beer, and I would create the food menu. And with those two ventures, I would have a good stream of income even if I may lose far more money that I ever pull out of it. But life would be quite fulfilling from then on out.

I guess $55 million is an excellent ticket to the question, if money was not a limitation, what would you do with your life? Too many people never get past the satisfaction of buying lots of sh!t. Instead, I would buy a lifetime.

@VideCorSpoon,

I would hope I never won the lottery. To take reign over that amount of money, for real lottery winners, is after some time of a) dreaming up what they would do, like this thread, in fantasy land and b) a life lived within much more meager means prior to winning. This is the best scenario ever, winning a lot of money, for all the bad sides of human nature to show themselves.

Most I've read about ended up in more debt 10 years later, some divorced, some dead, families torn apart, friendships lost, drug addictions, gambling, greed, gluttony, etc...

I sound like a priest, but the philosophical implications of having that much money, money which is thought of as power and the ultimate objective of a lottery player's life, is like giving the role of Caesar to a peasant. An uninformed, illogical, emotionally driven, nearsighted peasant. The lottery is a curse, lol.

...but if I was to be handed a winning lottery ticket, I would invest it / donate it / gift it to others who needed it - ideally. I am sure I would fall victim to some material desire or another, as would anyone.

@bmcreider,

@VideCorSpoon,

People who often have not earned their money will lose it very quickly.

I would build renovate houses and plant gardens and possibly start my own little school exchange circus treatment rehabilitation center museum commune where you would have to create beautiful things to pay for your tuition, traveling the world to recriut street perfromers and mad men preachers prophets philosophers shamans and witches and buy oddities and magical instruments and icons such as those pieces of toast with the face of jesus or the virgin mary.
Buy a mountain with woods and streams where the school would be sittuated and self sustaining either in Canada or Italy and build a castle there surrounded by ethnic huts and cabins.

Get my teeth fixed,
and peck implants Laughing

@sometime sun,

@VideCorSpoon,

VideCorSpoon;151865 wrote:

Never read 'those' books, more along the lines of that school in the states, something like 'Sunny' or 'Sunshine' cant remember.
And it would not just be a school it would be a business, you would have to contribute a percentage of your earnings while under our roof (now it sounds like a cult) but you would be encouraged to grow and to leave the hallowed halls and better equipped to make your artistic mark on the universe and even be paid handsomely for it, there would be business classes as well as how to stilt-walk.
But most of all it would be a place of safety and of spiritual liberation.
No fee, just contributions.
Diplomas for day-dreaming.

side note; how do you and why do you contribute money to this forum? where does the money go?

@sometime sun,

sometime sun;151876 wrote:

Never read 'those' books, more along the lines of that school in the states, something like 'Sunny' or 'Sunshine' cant remember.
And it would not just be a school it would be a business, you would have to contribute a percentage of your earnings while under our roof (now it sounds like a cult) but you would be encouraged to grow and to leave the hallowed halls and better equipped to make your artistic mark on the universe and even be paid handsomely for it, there would be business classes as well as how to stilt-walk.
But most of all it would be a place of safety and of spiritual liberation.
No fee, just contributions.
Diplomas for day-dreaming.

side note; how do you and why do you contribute money to this forum? where does the money go?

very costly and very time consuming. It's amazing how many people (not you of course) who take the forum for granted and somehow think that all this stuff is just as free and easy as setting up a yahoo email (of which I have 5 LOL!). As I understood it at one point, the previous owner (Justin) paid hundreds of dollars a month for servers, software, etc and sadly he had so much work cut out for him that he hardly had time to take part in forum discussions.

Suffice to say, donating money to the forum helps everyone from the genuinely philosophically curious to the jaded pseudo -philosophy tinkerers exploring their "deep-oooh-I-can use-contrapositives" side for a few weeks until they get bored and so on. Can't run a car without gas, can't run a forum without cash. Its sad to say though how many people take the forum we all enjoy for granted.

@VideCorSpoon,

Have seen bits of the films and who does not love Alan Rickman.
I had to hang up my wand.
I just dont want that big banner that says i am a donator, i dont want a superiority complex thanks, could i donate and not have that?
Bit tight for the next month or two but do now see and also appreciate we are not overwhlemed with advertisements and sponsors junk.

And if the 'powers that be' read this, i THANK YOU from my mind and heart for all you give and make available, you provide a superior product and placement. I am in your debt.

@xris,

xris;150989 wrote:

Save your money and buy a reasonable Irish whisky , much better than any single scotch malt.

I would invest in a eco-friendly estate in Northern Spain, near to pilgrims route to Santiago de Compostella. I would try to be self-supporting and give shelter to people needing a break from the modern world. I would try to set up a pottery, a bakery; re-create a village based on barter trade.

As an extra I would invite humanistic teachers and organise courses in Renaissance culture because I think it's about Time for a new era; less materialistic and more spiritual. I am just afraid it would be an elitist thing and would not have any effect in the long run.

Maybe I would buy a ticket into space for half the money and spend the rest on a retirement plan for myself and some good friends...

@Pepijn Sweep,

Speaking of alan rickman,
YouTube - Alan Rickman's Answering Machine - Family Guy

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