THE NATIONAL Lottery has been condemned by the bishops and by social workers. I agree with them entirely. I have never bought a ticket and never will.
There are two reasons why I do not gamble: There is little chance of winning, and I prefer having one pound in my pocket to a million in my imagination. The other reason is that I do not want to be rich. Wealth does not make people happier, but it is sure to make them more selfish.
Those who have lost everything through war or natural disasters are eager to share the little they have. Those who have money guard it jealously or spend it selfishly. When we look at the happy faces of the Third World people we pity, and at the long faces of the rich and famous when they are not facing the camera, we realise that happiness does not lie in plenty. It is those who have the bare necessities of life who appreciate the gifts of God.
Besides, we can only get rich at someone else's expense: manufacturers by underpaying their staff, traders by overcharging their customers, Lottery winners by pocketing the money of Lottery losers.
This is probably why Jesus was born of poor parents, chose his friends among the poor, and said "Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven",
S Crawley Stockport