Thank you Kin for posting those stories. I read them and found them very encouraging.
One of the things I think about a lot is the need to work, help others, and sometimes the need to be more lazy and selfish. I guess we all have this kind of dynamic in some way, but obviously it’s the lazy and selfish times that need to be treated with caution. If we have some time alone and with no pressing responsibilities (or none that we care to notice at that time), then what do we do with the time? Obviously watching a movie or reading a book, even playing a video game could all be fun. So why have the desire to gamble? It’s just illusion. There are two main things: first, we might really believe it will help us financially, although as we all know the opposite is true, either immediately or longer term. Secondly, we might have a sense of pleasure, ‘relaxation’ or excitement that watching TV or playing a just-for-fun game wouldn’t give us. And yet the only difference is that money is involved with gambling, and often very large amounts. So although we might not think of ourselves as greedy people, it could be that greed is underneath these impulses. Just because we’re broke it doesn’t mean we can’t be greedy. That’s just my thought for the day. I hope you’re all doing OK and seeing hope for the future now.