If I win the lottery

Pretty much almost all of us have speculated what we'll do if we win the lottery, and it's also a classic topic for our early school life essays. Here, you'll have an honest essay-ish feel of what I'll actually do if I win the lottery, as a generic somewhat privileged Bangladeshi male.

I always enjoyed having my basic needs fulfilled and grew up in a household which provided me with more than enough to be healthy and content. But since I'm still human, I always looked up to the filthy rich and their lavish lifestyles while gloating over why I'm not one of them. So the first I thing I'd do is celebrate my life-long ambition coming true and thank the universe for finally giving me what I deserve.

So I'd head to the most expensive shopping mall in the city, Khamuna Future Park and buy branded versions of clothes that I already own. Then comes the endless hangouts and parties at high-end places with my friends and attractive members of the opposite gender just because that's what I think happiness looks like.

And then, it's time for the cliché of all lottery winning stories. Buying a luxury car and travelling all over the world. Unfortunately, I still can't drive and getting a visa is a pain in the rear end. So I'd settle for showing off my expensive sports car by having my chauffeur do the engine revving thing for me. Meanwhile, I'll open a Messenger chat thread and discuss the details of the trips I plan to make after several months when I get my visa.

After countless hours spent eating overpriced food at heavily marketed restaurants, I'll realise at one point that all these luxuries don't feel special anymore. I'll still feel like how I did before I won the lottery. Sure, there will be an initial high but soon after, I'll get used to it. I'll have the same feelings of being happy and sad, just for a different reason. I'll probably make the same kind of jokes and laugh the same way. Also, I'll start to envy richer people again, thinking having a garage full of BMWs and Audis is nothing, and true happiness comes from owning a private jet.

So kids, I hope you all learn the lesson from my imaginary story. Money isn't everything and it certainly isn't the only thing you need to be happy. While making money and attaining success are certainly important, things like our health, relationships, doing things we truly enjoy are just as important.

To finish the story, after I have the life-altering realisation about how money isn't everything, I'll find out I've spent all my lottery winnings. So I'll revert back to an average middle-class teenager again, who'll miss his short luxurious lifestyle dearly.