If you have been paying attention to the news lately, then you must have heard about the $540M Mega Millions jackpot at least once. Major media outlets and social networks have been full of people’s wishes for richness. Would having half a billion dollars plopped on your lap overnight bring ultimate happiness? I would certainly argue that money is not the supreme good in life, but it can’t be denied that it would help many along in their personal quests. Regardless of how much we talk about fortune, the meaning of life, the ups and downs of winning the lottery, none of it masks the great commotion the jackpot is causing on the Web.
Below is a graphic showing the level of discussion surrounding the Mega Millions lottery. The graph includes all mentions of Mega Millions on Twitter in the days leading up to the jackpot. Discussion reached a frenzied pitch yesterday at 146,300 mentions, and Volume will undoubtedly continue to increase today and over the next few days.
Discussion about the Mega Millions lottery has skyrocketed above 140,000 mentions as of yesterday.
“So you’re telling me there’s a chance?” Yes, there is always hope. On a related note, let’s all be thankful our current lottery isn’t structured like some others we have seen in popular culture. Among all the frenzy of the lottery hype — who wins and who doesn’t — remember what is important in life; remember who you are.
Think the lottery is all that great? If you haven’t read The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, give this haunting tale of a rural town wrapped up in a ritual lottery a read. The full text of this short story is floating around the Internet, and it’s not very long.
And if you have really been oblivious to pop culture fads lately, look into The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. You can read the book, or check out the movie in theaters now. The lottery in that series forces children to fight for their lives while the government rules the people from its oligarchical capitol.
I wish all of you out there luck if you play. There is no winning strategy and no best chance to win. There is just the hand of fate. If Lady Luck wills it, your life will be changed forever. Live with the hope that you might be a winner for a few days, but, more importantly, live with hope for every day — that every day you will wake up and make each day better than the last.
