Recently, there was a tragedy involving a truck full of gravel, and some people in a house that could not be easily seen from the road. The initial response was anger and accusations about the capability and character of the truck driver. Sometimes it is a good thing that we aren’t all provided with pitchforks to help express our opinions!
Later, as emotions calmed, it became evident the driver did the best that he could when confronted with an equipment failure while traveling down a steep hill. There is risk with almost everything we do, in spite of our best intentions and efforts. Knowing this, I am amazed that people choose to gamble. They travel to casinos, willing to give their money to the casino owners. Some claim it to be a form of entertainment, but that is not what I have observed when staying in hotels with casinos. I have looked at the faces of those that are gambling, and they don’t look very happy. I have seen people gambling all hours of the day and night. They don’t seem to be energized or excited about life.
But all of that changes when they “hit the jackpot.” The lights flash, the bells ring and everyone looks over to see who the lucky winner is. But the happiness and excitement don’t last for long. After all, was anything really accomplished? It’s mainly luck. Some argue that it takes skill to “read” the other players during a game of poker, which can help in the long run, but for a given hand luck plays a large role.
I had an acquaintance with amazing luck at the casinos. He spent weekends in Las Vegas, and by his accounts he won from $1,200 to $2,000 each time. I was amazed that he won money every trip! As time moved on, I realized that my friend only reported on his gambling when he won, since he kept his day job instead of becoming a professional gambler. I wondered what it was that made him present only the winning side of his hobby. I admire a couple that developed a creative compromise to deal with gambling: The wife does not support the idea of her husband’s occasional gambling. Their compromise is that when he gambles and wins, he must give her half of the winnings. When he gambles and loses, he must give her the amount that he has lost. So the wife always wins some extra spending money when he gambles. The winnings are halved and the losses are doubled, which keeps the gambling down to a moderate level. Gambling may be a status symbol for some. After all, you must have a lot of money to be able to lose money so easily, right? For others, gambling may be an act of desperation.
At best, gambling is getting something for nothing. At the worst, gambling is paying a lot for unfulfilling entertainment. Is there a way to taste the thrill of winning without paying the steep price? In the Santa Ynez Valley we know the answer. We have a wealth of generous and wonderful people who find happiness by sharing their time and their resources. They seek out kind words to share with others and provide encouragement to those that need it the most. They find it thrilling to uplift others. There is an assortment of service groups in the Valley that regularly make a difference in the lives of others.
We live in a place where we have ample opportunity to marvel at the wonders of nature. Our community needs to continue to encourage everyone to seek real thrills, and not artificial ones. Real life already provides enough of a gamble.
Brad Ross is an engineer who lives in Los Olivos. Please write to princentliv@gmail.com to share principles that affect your life, or to provide feedback.