Banks should be at the back of the queue when it comes to enjoying a Lotto win as big as €19 million
WE beat ourselves up too much, especially when life is hard.
It’s the greatest failure of evolution that in tough times humans don’t have the innate ability to be kind to themselves.
The older you get, the more you realise how much time you probably wasted taking the stick to yourself.
It’s what man has always been good at. Blame. And if he’s not blaming himself, he points the finger at others (the narcissist).
It is conscience — the gift we have that no other species possesses — that makes us judge.
All, except psychopaths, can discern right from wrong; good from evil; love from hatred; happiness from sadness.
But were life so simple.
Existence is lived not in the glare of absolute truth and knowledge, but in the gaps in between, where there is grey; where the sands shift; where a weak man — and one too hard on himself — can, and usually, falls.
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From start to finish in life there is no straight line, only the zig zag sideways, backwards and forwards, never knowing what’s next or when the end will come.
We have only one life to live and we should seek out kindness as much as we can. It’s a lesson that is beginning to dawn on a great many of us now the last two years of slogging pandemic recede into memory and eventually history.
Just how bloody how hard it has all been: on mind, on body, on soul. As the dark cloud of Covid dissipates, kindness should be the order of the day — to yourself first, then others (but never bankers).
The humility of the winners of the record-breaking €19.06million Lotto jackpot who came forward to claim their prize this week made me think how kindness can cure the weary soul.
It would have been a monumental story had the family syndicate from Castlebar, Co Mayo, gone public.
Alas the winners decided to remain in the long grass. And who could blame them after trousering that much coin?
Through the National Lottery the family did, however, reveal their plans to help as many people as they can with their new-found treasure.
Make them sweat, those who enjoy sweating you. A lesson I learned young.
One family member said: “While we all will have our own individual plans, the big thing we want to do is help our wider family, close friends and indeed our community in any way we can.
“Of course, we will be paying off whatever mortgages and loans that we have but we have also drawn up a list of people to help in our communities and we look forward to helping out some charities and organisations in the coming months.
“It really is such an exciting time in our lives and we can’t wait to get started to change people’s lives.”
Mine, the hardest of hearts two years ago, melted a touch. A touch, mind. My only gripe with the family’s plans for their money was their intention to pay off mortgages and loans and assuage the bank manager.
Banks — and especially Irish banks — should be at the back of the queue when it comes to enjoying the benefits of a Lotto win.
If it were me who’d won I’d have told my National Lottery handler to tell the world that my bank could whistle in the wind and that I’d be spending the next two years sipping the finest of wines in the Tropics with the €19m cash pile as my bed.
Indeed I would ring my bank personally to renegotiate downwards all my payments. Make them sweat, those who enjoy sweating you. A lesson I learned young.
Kindness is for those who choose to be kind first
Remember this when you think of your bank: They sin and we pay for it.
We are still collectively ponying up for the casino-style collapse of our banking system in 2008. They gambled and ordinary Joe paid the bill.
The USC was brought in to force citizens to pay for the sins of our bankers.
Fourteen years later and the USC is still being levied, despite a pledge from the current government to abolish it by 2024. It’s a nailed-on guarantee you’ll still be stumping up USC for years to come.
One of the biggest failures of government over the last 14 years has been its inability to force the banks to stop gouging the very people who bailed them out — their customers. Irish banks still continue to hit us with mortgage interest rates that are more than DOUBLE what they are in the rest of the EU. So, to hell with them.
Kindness is for those who choose to be kind first. The banks deserve nothing from the Castlebar family’s €19m lottery win. Let your bank swing. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.
CAT KICK ZOUMA IS TOTAL DISGRACE
THOSE who abuse animals deserve to rot in the Ninth Circle of Hell for all eternity.
West Ham’s Kurt Zouma kicked, slapped and hurled a pet cat in the air in a shocking video release this week.
His punishment: Two weeks’ wages — about £250,000 — and a slap on the wrist.
Rather than put the matter to bed, the response of the Hammers has deepened the crisis. Two sponsors have withdrawn their support for the club.
West Ham’s ‘destination partner’ Experience Kissimmee, the tourism authority for Osceola County in Florida, pulled out of its deal with the prem giants after manager David Moyes picked Zouma to start Tuesday’s game against Watford.
Vitality, West Ham’s ‘wellness partner’ also pulled the plug on their dealings with the club, saying it was “hugely disappointed” with the judgment shown by the club in response to the video.
He may be a decent footballer, but Zouma is obviously an immature imbecile. The UK’s RPSCA has taken away his cats, but the only authorities keen on prosecuting him seem to be the French.
There, the abuse of animals carries stiff penalties of up to four years in prison.
If he’s done, let him serve it in a cat box.
NOT EASY TO STEM THE TIDE OF CRISIS
THE current cost of living crisis will be with us for a while yet.
Inflation is an inevitable consequence of the post-pandemic economic explosion.
The Government and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe’s €450million plan to ease the burden on families, while welcome, can only scratch the surface of what people are going through.
The choice between being cold or going hungry is a very real one in modern Ireland right now.
Giving every household €227 off their March electricity bill will help. Of course it will.
As will targeting lower income families with financial support to help them over the hump. But giving people money in an era of rising prices — and with the spectre of war in the Ukraine — risks increasing inflation, already close to five per cent here.
There is no easy solution. Increasing wages in a time of inflation — as some have called for — is really dangerous too.
The amount the Government takes in taxes on petrol and other essentials is one way of helping dampen the inflationary spiral.
But governments don’t like reducing taxes, especially lucrative ones.
Unwise governments fall during times of uncontrollable inflation.
Wisdom requires patience.
CRACK DOWN ON OAP ATTACKERS
I’M against capital punishment, except for those who attack old people in their own homes.
They should be strung up from the nearest lamp-post.
Instead, if they’re caught they’ll only get a few measly months behind bars after arguing in court that they had a difficult upbringing and a poor education.
The three low-lifes who broke into 73-year-old Tom Niland’s home outside Sligo last month stole a miserly €600, but not before beating the ‘gentle giant’ so badly he is now in a coma fighting for his life.
Then on Tuesday, a gang of thugs broke into another OAP’s home outside Celbridge Co Kildare, and beat him up for a few tools.
Our old folk are living in terror. The Gardai have their work cut out, which means communities must come together to patrol and protect the most vulnerable in their midst.
Once caught, they should face stiff, minimum sentences — 20 years would do it.
SEPARATED AT BIRTH?
THEY are the daughters of giants from opposite ends of the musical spectrum — so growing up must have been hard.
Paris Jackson, above left, was raised in the ugly shadow of her superstar father Michael. Named after the city she was conceived in, Paris has forged an acting and singing career all of her own.
Artist and model Frances Bean Cobain, above right, is daughter of Nirvana frontman Kurt. The girls are doppelgangers.
SIX NATIONS MAY BE WON IN PARIS
TOMORROW. Stade de France. Northern Paris. Cold. Packed. Two Republics, who like each other. 17:45 local time. Battle for 80 minutes. Winner takes all.
France vs Ireland in the Six Nations will be a humdinger. No doubt whatsoever.
Two excellent teams, both with huge attacking flair and a desire to run will make for a rip-roaring game.
The absence of Johnny Sexton, who picked up a hamstring injury in training on Wednesday has undoubtedly dealt a blow to Ireland’s chances.
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But we have depth to our squad and Joey Carberry is a fine replacement.
The heart of the French attack is their world-class scrum half, Antoine Dupont, the Pyreneen wonder kid who secures quick ball, likes to join in attacks, possesses innate offloading skill and will run even after the tank is empty.
If Ireland can smother him, they’re in with a great shout. Should be a cracker.
