Check if You Are a Gambler
Xuefeng
May 22, 2020
(Translated by Qinyou and Edited by Kaer)
Do you gamble? Check this out!
What is a gambler? It is anyone who wants to win rich rewards by betting their money, youth, future, and LIFE on uncertain things which they self-identify as certainty.
Gamblers lose everything that they begin with including the clothes on their backs...eventually. Are there any who earn good lives by gambling? Casino dealers can do very well, but they are not really gambling because the games are all stacked in their favor, but most people who participate in gambling will lose and will end up with crushing losses. The truth is simple and clear, but people still want to gamble; all are gambling.
I studied carefully and discovered the surprising phenomenon that almost everyone gambles, with marriage being the biggest gamble in life. You cannot be sure of its outcome; you can never fully understand the other person’s personality, outlook, temperament, character, interests, and other factors, but you are betting your whole youth and your entire life on them. You expect to be happy, joyous, harmonious, and blessed, and expect to remain in love with each other for your lifetime, but then what happens? It is not necessary to analyze the results. The eventual result of all gambling is that the gamblers all lose. Since marriage is a big gamble, the result is of course tragic.
Participating in religion and becoming a believer is also gambling. You base your destiny and future by betting on the religious rituals, ideas, practices, and beliefs that you firmly believe are correct, but is your religion the absolute truth? Almost every religion claims that theirs is the only correct belief, but this is only its own wishful thinking. Can it withstand the challenges of facts, science, logic, and spiritual perception? Regarding the three major religions: Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism, they are each contradictory in terms of LIFE and death, so which one is right? After death, are there reincarnations or merely lying quietly and waiting unconsciously for a final judgement and possible resurrection? If you are not sure, then are you not gambling? Christianity practices monogamy, Islam allows men to have four wives, and Buddhists do not marry at all to become monks and nuns. Which one is consistent with the truth of the universe?
It is said that there are more than a thousand political parties in the world. No matter which one you choose to join to become a member of, you will still be doing the equivalent of gambling in a casino. Political parties are contenders for power and interest; as long as you compete and race for them, there will be winners and losers. Anything that has winners and losers is a gamble. Therefore, partisans are also gamblers.
Do you have children? If your main purpose of giving birth to children is to bring glory to your ancestors and to protect and support yourself in your old age, then you are gambling, because whether your children can bring glory to your ancestors or protect and support you in your old age is unknown and produces a questionable future. Is not putting your hard work, sweat, and hope on uncertain outcomes gambling? Are you not a gambler?
Do you spend time, energy, and money on interpersonal relationships? If so, you are gambling. Whether it is for benefit and safety, or for affection and entertainment, as long as you establish special relationships with others, you are gambling. You cannot guarantee whether the special relationships you have forged will be blessings or curses or whether you are putting yourself at risk or bringing in noble allies.
Do you trade stocks; engage in venture investments; support a company financially? If any of these are yes, then you are gambling because you do not know what any of the outcomes will be. You are just taking risks and thinking wishfully about getting generous returns. You can never be sure whether the results will be counterproductive. How different are these endeavors from going into casinos with the intention of winning big money?
Whether it is a battlefield, officialdom, a workplace, business, love, a family, a teaching field, or a relationship, its nature is the same as that of casinos. Once you enter any field, you are gambling; you ARE a gambler.
As long as you invest your time, energy, physical strength, mental energy, and even your future on something that cannot be determined for its developmental direction and future results, then you ARE gambling and you ARE a gambler.
Wake up now and ask yourself, what on earth are you here for? Are you here for a huge gamble? If you think gambling is fun and exciting, then play as much as you like! Anyway, everything is empty in the end, so why not enjoy it? However, if you know that emptiness is not empty, then you had better think deeply about life.