Gambling Attitudes Annoy Me
Still on Gambling. In the last post did I give the impression that I believe gambling is a waste of money? If so, then I certainly gave the wrong impression of how I view money. If so, I am annoyed at myself.
Money is a servant to be used to achieve an end. The amount of money that can be manifested in the universe is infinite (although he amount any individual holds may be very limited). So I don’t believe I could ever say it can be wasted – maybe put to a better use depending on your values, but not wasted. Accessing the infinite supply is often a problem for people – but that is off this topic and is addressed in my other blogs.
I want to be clear. It is not the spending of money on gambling that annoys me; rather it is the attitude and values that go with the spending. Of course, this is a value judgment on my part; one with which I am comfortable. I feel justified in making those judgments when I see children going without proper nutrition (sometimes hungry), proper clothing, activities for growth and development, adequate school equipment and even without the company and supervision of parents just so the parents can gamble. I feel justified in making those judgments about gambling when the gambler steals money from elderly sick parents to support the gambling habit. I feel justified in making those judgments when I see the gamblers (or their families) whining and begging for medical supplies, transportation, food and even help with their children because their money (and time) is used for their gambling addiction.
I am annoyed at the selfish attitude of these people – not their expenditure of money. The expenditure flows from the attitude. It is a well accepted principle that action follows attitudes and beliefs and not the other way around. The money is a tool whose use allows these people to fulfill their selfish needs. And that is what they do. The focus of these gambling addicts is not to provide a healthy environment for their family to grow; their focus is to provide a quick fix for their own selfish needs and it seems they will go to any lengths to do so. The money is the means by which they act out their attitudes and beliefs and satisfy their own self focused cravings to the exclusion of all others (except the casino owners and governments). That should be annoying to everybody.
I know I am quite rigid in my approach to these gambling addicts and their selfish activities. I am content with my approach. I wouldn’t care if the gambling addict’s addiction affected nobody except the gambler. But that is never the case. At some point the gambler seeks someone to pick up the pieces behind him. And then he expects everybody to be there to help him and to ignore how he caused his own situation. In our society, we do that – we do pick up the pieces. Our compassion allows the gambler to destroy himself and his family and then we give him all the benefits that other citizens get and treat him like nothing has happened. Is that right?
