Pick 76 - Evil

 

Evil, in a general sense, is the opposite or absence of good. It is generally seen as taking multiple possible forms, such as the form of personal moral evil commonly associated with the word, or impersonal natural evil (as in the case of natural disasters or illnesses), and in religious thought, the form of the demonic or supernatural/eternal.

We have all met people who either believe in God, are Atheists, or just don't care. Each professes their view of how the world, as we know it, came to be. Some attribute it all to a Higher Power they call God. Others believe in the Big Bang and random chance. Many are too busy trying to survive to pay much attention to such questions.

Still, they all share one belief in common: they concede that evil exists and can touch every human life at will. So how is it that we empower evil through fear, jealousy, and self-hatred but are reluctant to empower good through faith and selfless love?

Perhaps that is the hidden value in evil. It drives us all to question our existence and ponder the origin of both evil and good in the world as we know it.

$tokens to Tip the Pickers

1 $token - 1.00 USD3 $tokens - 3.00 USD5 $tokens - 5 USD 12345

Pick 75 - The Lottery

We now know the record-breaking $1.6 billion  Powerball Lottery was split three ways. As of this writing, only one of the three winners have come forward to claim their share. The other two are either waiting on advice from their Financial Advisors or perhaps they collapsed when they realized the enormous life changes this event would bring on. Regardless, this lesson is not about winning the Lottery but about the faith required to place one's hope in a $2 Lottery ticket.

Photo by Lance Grandahl on Unsplash

Likely many ticket buyers do not accept the advice embedded in the paper bills  they use to purchase the tickets. Nor do they realize that advice will be repeated millions of times over should they actually win the lottery and spend the cash. Yet the very act of buying the ticket implies that they trust in the power of the Lottery to somehow fix any problem they may have. And the only hope they have is a 1 in 300 million chance of winning. They fail to find the hidden value in playing the Lottery.

Photo by Jorge Salvador on Unsplash

Take a good look at the green side of the paper bill. Just below The United States of America ID and the bill's value are the words "In God We Trust"  It does not point us to the Federal Reserve or to the Federal Government for life changing hope. It refers us clearly and simply to the God of our understanding--a power greater than ourselves. Yes. That Higher Power can be Powerball, but a 1 in 300 million long shot does not give us much hope. Still the awesome thing about our country is that we are each free to place that trust and find our hope in any power, even Powerball. That is the hidden value in the Lottery.

$tokens to Tip the Pickers

1 $token - 1.00 USD3 $tokens - 3.00 USD5 $tokens - 5 USD 12345

Pick 74 - Hugs

I was sitting in the lounge at our local YMCA, stroking my grey beard, when out of nowhere a child came up to my chair and gave me a hug. Without any fear or disrespect, he asked me if I had decided to hang out in the warm climate instead of heading back to my home in the North Pole. It took me a few seconds to realize that he had associated my Santa Claus facial look with that mysterious person who had left his favorite toy under the tree just a few days ago.

Photo by __ drz __ on Unsplash

I had grown the beard to play Santa Claus at the local volunteer fire department and thought this child might have been one of my little wish list presenters at the fire house. So I went back into character to answer his question. "No." I teased. "I am not the real Santa Claus. I am his cousin. He lets me help him out whenever he gets too busy to meet every good boy and girl before Christmas."
The little boy took that answer at face value but continued to ask me questions that had to be answered with great care if I did not want to betray his sincere belief in Santa. He was well-schooled in Santa's life. He knew all about the North Pole and Santa's workshop that was staffed by Elves.

That led him to the next question: Do you work in Santa's workshop during the rest of the year?
I replied, "No. Only Santa's elves are allowed to be in the workshop. I only take wishes from good kids like you and send them to Santa. The elves take care of the rest."

Next question: "Have you ever been at Santa's house in the North Pole?"
"No. There are no roads to get there and it is hidden from view so you can't fly there either. Santa's reindeer know how to find it and they take Santa on his magic slay anywhere in the world he wants to go--even when there is no snow."

Thankfully, the boy's mother came by to retrieve him because I was running out of ways to answer these questions in ways that would leave his admiration for Santa in tact. He gave me another hug and headed off with his mom and two older sisters. I can't help but think that  when his belief in Santa is shattered, he will still look back on this experience with fond memories. Not only did that kindly old gentleman share his belief in Santa Claus, but sent him away with a hug and the assurance that he now had a friend who actually knew the real Santa Claus.

$tokens to Tip the Pickers

1 $token - 1.00 USD3 $tokens - 3.00 USD5 $tokens - 5 USD 12345