I see today that the latest Euro millions winners have decided to go public. I can only assume that serious pressure is put on them to take this drastic step. For the rest of their lives they will no longer be Mr and Mrs xyz but "101 million pound lottery winners xyz" They must be mad. They will be besieged with requests both genuine and bogus for years to come which, unless you particularly enjoy reading sad stories, will at best cause them to reflect on their good fortune.
I would never ever agree to going public on a major win. I would want the time in private to decide how best to spend my new found fortune and who should and should not benefit. It reflects, I suppose, my personality. I am a background boy. I hate being the front man. I like to be the one in the shadows, pulling the strings, not the one dancing to the tune. Probably half a dozen times on twitter I have been asked to consider doing stand up. Whilst flattering it is the biggest joke of all. Give me an audience and I'll give you unbridled fear. I don't even like to show any of my stuff to friends.
Twitter is perfect for people like me. You can be "up front" but, should the mood take you, you can disappear without a trace and be forgotten within days. That's how I like it. I don't mind a mug shot. I have a forgettable face. If required you can invent an alter ego and relaunch under a new identity. Effectively you can be all you perhaps would like to be in the real world without the anxiety than comes with it.
I wish the lottery winners happiness. I hope they put my letter requesting a donation for my "regrow the prostate" charity. I miss it and the happy times we had together. It will be a real tear jerker.
An insightful post.
ReplyDeleteRef Lottery winners: Always interests me how others may react to something like that. Not judging just interested in all our differences. I would want anonymity but for different reasons. Money scares me silly. There again i'm often silly, so it would. Your prostrate surgery recovery tells to me that the sane amongst us, would choose health over money, as what is money without the other.
Twitter it seems is all things to lots of people. It enables me to come out of the shadows and practice handling all types of people in all types of moods. As a serial ship jumper, I like that about it that one can dust oneself down and start all over again. However, here's the rub. We (tweeters) may forget, real people, with real feelings, reside behind those Avi's. (Damn Bots Excluded). It's a minefield at times. We may stumble across much.
Like my old school report said *Needs constant supervision* ;))
Thank you for your posting. Interesting read, thought provoking and well written.
Jampot.
Thank you. It's an old Spike Milligan saying but it's true. Money can't buy you happiness but at least you can be miserable in comfort.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you say about Tweeters. We generally only see the superficial. No-one knows what goes on behind closed doors but I am sure it provides an outlet for expression for many who would otherwise lead fairly solitary lives.