In 2002, a 50-year-old man in the United States was lucky to fulfill the wishes of many people. He bought a $2 lottery ticket and won the jackpot of $314 million.
This should be something that many people envy, but he regretted and cried in 8 years, and said that he should not have redeemed the lottery ticket in the first place.
So, what happened to this winning man that made him so remorseful about claiming the prize?
The source in this article comes from the official media [Beiqing.com, Huanqiu.com, Beijing Morning News] (the link is attached at the end of the article), but in order to improve the readability of the article, the details may be polished, please read sensibly, for reference only!
"Wealth is not exposed"
I believe you have seen a lot of videos about lottery winning on the Internet, not only abroad, but also many continental. But the difference is that when people who win the jackpot in the mainland claim their prizes, they basically cover their faces.
In foreign countries, on the contrary, they will be very calm to redeem the prize, and they can also let reporters cover and report. Of course, it doesn't mean that this way of receiving the prize is bad, but it will bring a lot of trouble.
After many people win the jackpot, they subconsciously want to announce their good luck to everyone. But the phrase "wealth is not exposed" does not exist in vain, and revealing wealth is often troubled a lot.
Not only will you be coveted by many people, resulting in the loss of property, but more seriously, you will even suffer physical harm as a result. And there is a man in the United States who just after winning the lottery a series of things happened.
I was surprised to find out that I had won
Jackson is the owner of a small sewer construction company in West Virginia, USA. He is 50 years old this year and has a happy family of four.
Although the income is not high, they are thrifty and thrifty, and their life is quite comfortable, and their greatest happiness is to be able to spend weekends with their wives and children.
However, on Christmas Day 2002, the ordinary Jackson family ushered in a life-changing turning point. On that day, Jackson took his wife and two children to the supermarket as usual to buy them, and by the way, bought a few lottery tickets as a holiday aftershow.
When they got home, the whole family was busy preparing Christmas dinner and presents, and no one took the tickets to heart. In the evening, the family happily sat in front of the TV, waiting for the much-anticipated moment of the lottery.
When the numbers on the screen appeared one by one, Jackson was suddenly stunned, and the lottery numbers in his hand matched exactly!" Look, my dear, are we dreaming? We won 314 million US dollars (about 2.14 billion yuan)! Oh my God, I can't believe it!"
Jackson shook his hands and confirmed several times that it was all true. The news spread quickly, and the Jacksons instantly became the focus of national attention.
Countless people envy them for becoming billionaires overnight. After comprehensive consideration, Jackson finally chose to receive the prize in a lump sum. After deducting taxes and fees, the prize money received is $110 million.
In the face of the media's long guns and short guns, this former ordinary family was a little at a loss. There is no doubt that a windfall is a huge test for anyone.
The long-dormant human nature is gradually revealed under the temptation of money, and the way of life changes rapidly, and many people lose themselves in this upheaval.
Start splurging after winning the lottery
At first, Jackson behaved rather solemnly and humbly. He made a charitable donation with 10% of the prize money, set up a $14 million charitable fund, and donated $7 million to the church, which shows that he still had a correct understanding of money at this time.
However, Jackson soon began to exhibit the characteristics of the typical nouveau riche. He seems to have grown tired of his simple life overnight and can't wait to change his face.
So, he didn't work seriously, and he didn't care if the business was still booming, and used this huge amount of money to start a new chapter in his life. First, Jackson squandered his money and bought all sorts of luxury goods on a spree.
He bought a private jet and a luxury yacht, as if to show his status as a local tyrant. He also bought several expensive sports cars, including Ferrari and Lamborghini, which cost millions of dollars.
Apparently, Jackson wanted to satisfy his vanity with these expensive cars. Next, Jackson and his family embarked on a round-the-world trip and a luxury cruise vacation.
They went to famous attractions all over the world, stayed in five-star hotels, and experienced the luxury of a regal life. For them, this huge amount of money is like an inexhaustible cornucopia, and there is no need for moderation at all.
Gradually, Jackson's family was also fascinated by this arrogant and lascivious lifestyle, and simply stopped doing serious things, doing nothing all day long, only eating, drinking and having fun.
However, as Jackson became rich, his behavior became more and more bizarre and unreasonable. Like a madman, he drove a luxury car and threw money at random at strangers on the street, as if he felt that the money was no longer worth mentioning to him.
He generously gave large sums of cash as gifts to friends and betting shop owners, and was also wealthy to his family and friends, even to the point of swaggering.
Gradually towards dilapidation
Jackson's granddaughter was also deeply influenced by his depraved lifestyle. When she encountered some hurtful incidents, she actually thought of using money to settle everything, and completely lost her sense of right and wrong.
The elder Jackson did not object to this, but only encouraged her to have such false values. Most disturbingly, Jackson began to frequent places of sound, soaking in bars and nightclubs all day long, indulging in the glamour of glamour.
He mingled with all kinds of men and women, spent all his days drinking, and had fun, and had long forgotten his once unpretentious life. Catalyzed by money, Jackson completely lost himself and couldn't extricate himself.
The tragedy of Jackson's life began with the sudden death of his granddaughter Blake, who was addicted to drugs and eventually paid the price with his life due to drug overdose.
Upon learning of the bad news, Jackson was overwhelmed with grief and fell into a complete self-defeating predicament. He drank heavily all the time to numb his pain.
At the same time, he was also addicted to gambling, spending money at the gambling table and losing money frequently, but he turned a deaf ear to his wife's repeated persuasions. Seeing that her husband was getting deeper and deeper and hopeless, Jackson's wife finally couldn't bear it anymore and chose to divorce.
When dividing the property, she took a large part of it, which was undoubtedly worse for Jackson. Soon, Jackson suffered another heavy blow.
Families are torn apart
His daughter was diagnosed with a terminal illness and eventually died at a young age. The death of his daughter left him grief-stricken, and the whole person collapsed, falling into endless grief and self-blame.
Although with the guidance and support of his friends, Jackson temporarily came out of the haze, but the claws of alcohol dragged him more and more into the abyss. He began to drink heavily, using alcohol to drown his sorrows, but unknowingly became a slave to alcohol.
At the table, Jackson bet even more recklessly, and lost red-eyed. He lost a lot of money in a short period of time, but he couldn't extricate himself. Soon, the once-billionaire was in debt.
Creditors come to the door to ask for the arrears, and Jackson is unable to pay them. Just when he was at a loss, another blow followed. His house was set on fire and left him completely homeless.
Having lost all his possessions, Jackson had no choice but to work odd jobs to make ends meet. At the age of more than 60, he can only be slaughtered by others and reduced to a coolie on the construction site.
He had to do heavy manual labor every day, but he was paid only a small amount. This is in stark contrast to the extravagant life he once had.
When the reporter interviewed Jackson again, his face was full of sadness, and his words were full of regret and self-blame. He admits that he should not have cashed in the winning ticket in the first place, let alone gone astray in his lifestyle.
"That money was a curse that ruined my life! I wish I could turn back the clock and let me go back to my normal life before winning the lottery. That's true happiness!" Jackson sighed, his tone full of remorse.
Don't get carried away by money
Getting rich often does not mean happiness, but can be the beginning of a life's misfortune. Jackson's life is a stark illustration of the fact that after winning the massive $314 million lottery, he would have had the opportunity to live a carefree life.
However, greed and indulgence led him astray step by step, and in the end he was left with nothing. Jackson's tragedy teaches us that there are no ifs in life, and everything must have a price.
If a person who is rich lacks concentration, it is easy for him to indulge himself or even degenerate into a loser. In contrast, those ordinary people who are down-to-earth and diligent have more happiness and tranquility.
Money is not everything, it is just a tool of life, and it cannot be the whole of life. We need to correctly understand the meaning of wealth and manage our wealth in a wise way, rather than being blinded by money.
Greed is the root of all evil, and excessive pursuit of money is bound to be repercussed. Instead of being burdened by wealth, it is better to maintain a humble and simple attitude towards life, get rich with hard work, and establish a life with good deeds, which is the right way to happiness.
The fundamental difference between the poor and the rich is not how much wealth they have, but how they think. If even ordinary people live a luxurious life of spending money, it is no different from the nouveau riche.
True happiness does not come from the amount of money, but from an indifferent and contented attitude towards life.
When we learn to appreciate the bits and pieces of ordinary life and know how to be grateful for what we have in front of us, happiness will naturally flow like a clear spring.
epilogue
Therefore, we must remain humble and sober about unexpected wealth, do not let money take away our reason, and do not rely too much on the illusory satisfaction that money gives us.
Money can't buy true happiness, and family is the most valuable treasure in our lives. Only by being down-to-earth and doing good deeds can we win the true meaning of happiness, instead of being blinded and imprisoned by money.
Life is short, we should know how to be happy and learn to find the source of happiness in ordinary life. When we have enough sources of life, extra money does not bring us more happiness, but tends to make us arrogant and indulgent.
Therefore, we must withstand the test of money and treat wealth with correct values and attitudes towards life, in order to truly win a happy life.
Resources:
Beiqing.com——
Huanqiu.com——
Beijing Morning Post——