Those that know me know I have this deep desire to write for Esquire magazine. That comes mainly from the quality of the writing but also because I realize the Esquire lifestyle is my lifestyle; about a man just being a man and acting accordingly. It’s not Old School or New School (whatever that is), it’s simply knowing what to do and how to act. In comes inherently to some and, for an Esquire man, it does naturally.
Making my way into Esquire would be an endorsement for me on many levels.
And speaking of endorsements, I often send in pieces to the magazine just because it makes sense to me to do so. Yes, they’re bombarded with submissions and yes, the odds are astronomical, but that’s a romantic notion to me and I like the challenge. If it was easy it wouldn’t be worth it.
So - to get back to that endorsement reference - here’s the latest piece I sent to them. They often run short pieces endorsing or suggesting things in our modern lifestyle. Often times it’s a second and third look at the things we consider passe or mundane. Essentially their endorsements breathe life into something that is too readily passed over. This - my offering - is in keeping with that theme. It spoke to me so I had to write it down.
An Endorsement: The Lottery
By Charlie Teljeur
All gambling – despite repeated claims – is not created equal. There is wagering based on hope and there is wagering based on fear. How to tell the difference? Simple. The ROI.
A guy throwing down $20 at the track at best will walk away with a couple grand, maybe even ten or more if he’s lucky. His bet, in essence, is simply buying more time; his financial gain will never be enough to seriously change his lifestyle. It is only extending him till the next short-term bet.
The lottery; that five dollar wager with little more than a prayer is considered a sucker’s bet. It’s a simple tax on the poor. The odds are so astronomically against any possible win by the bettor he might as well simply burn his money. What kind of fool plays the lottery?
The idealistic fool, that’s who. No one in their right mind would consider continually plunking down ten dollars a week in the financial vortex known as the lottery but the lottery gambler isn’t of the right mind and isn’t banking on his ticket to produce the desired riches, he’s simply hoping and praying and dreaming that maybe tomorrow he may wake up a millionaire; that his life has dramatically changed overnight and that some dreams actually do come true.
No one mortgages his future on this. Lottery tickets aren’t bought in thousand dollar increments. It’s a dollar here and five dollars there. It’s employee money, pooled together, sweetly kissed for good luck and therein lies the difference. The lottery is that one flickering candle in a windstorm; a belief in something impossibly possible and a desire – albeit infinitesimally remote – for a better life.
Unyielding hope, at two dollars a pop, really is a pretty good deal.