Random Thought: Euphoria-induced Psychosis
I've watched documentaries that always talk about a so-called Lottery's Curse and stuff like that, but there's no curse. It's a ridiculous label, actually. The curse implies that if you win the lottery, you will lose the winnings in some tragic way because you'll attract negativity.
When you flood someone with major fortune in a short period of time (athletes, actors, lottery winners, etc.), I firmly believe that in some people that will induce a state of manic psychosis. It's when the system and psyche is overwhelmed by a major paradigm shift and there's no room to adapt to such a massive change...and weak egos and minds are totally saturated with opportunities that they aren't mature enough to handle.
We always assume that when people are traumatized, the cause is from a negative occurrence.
Events that would be deemed as gratuitously positive or serendipitous events also are highly stressful and traumatizing to the system, too.
Take for example, Dave Chappelle. He rose to fame in such an epic way, in a short period of time. He had built some clout as a comedian on local circuits for years, but The Dave Chappelle Show put him on a different playing field.
The show was insanely popular and he was even offered a contract to renew the show, if I recall correctly, for 50 million dollars.
Suddenly, after a rant on stage during one of his show tapings, he disappeared from the public eye and no one could locate him. There were speculations of suicide, drug use, and so forth.
Eventually he reemerged into the public eye and explained that he just needed a break from reality. He explained that he wanted to go someplace where no one would recognize him.
"Coming here [South Africa], I don't have the distractions of fame. It quiets the ego down. I'm interested in the kind of person I've got to become. I want to be well rounded and the industry is a place of extremes. I want to be well balanced. I've got to check my intentions, man."
I was impressed by his sense of self-awareness. I think he was feeling on the verge of some kind of break and he knew it. So much fame and fortune and it was getting to him... I think he was losing himself.
Let's say you won the lottery...and you were getting 150 million dollars. In one day, you go from your usual reality to this brand new experience of being that much richer and advantageous. Suddenly all of these options are open to you. You never have to worry about money again. It literally changes your life potentially forever. You also attract all kinds of people into your life, but you have NO idea whether or not they are attracted to you for the legit reasons. That's an added stressor...
People are totally all around you, you are crazy popular, you are the center of attention all of the time...in addition to the given money.
I think a lot of people would assume they'd be cool about this and rational, but if you have any issues or weaknesses that relate to your ego, your self-perception, your self-esteem, anything like that, such a drastic change WILL abrasively test you and show you your core.
Most people aren't going to be able to handle that and I think it is very important to keep yourself well-grounded in such extreme circumstances. To keep close to usual and everyday things, and as Dave Chappelle mentioned, to CHECK YOURSELF.
We can also see this in athletes that become famous nearly overnight, actors/actresses, child stars who become dethroned as they get older, and various celebrity personalities/figures.
I think people who become famous through business ventures are probably more paced and grounded because they have to earn their money over time and deal with things from the ground up. There are rare cases where a business idea or venture can suddenly send someone into fame and fortune (Napster, Pet Rock, etc.), but those sorts of stories aren't usual.
When you flood someone with major fortune in a short period of time (athletes, actors, lottery winners, etc.), I firmly believe that in some people that will induce a state of manic psychosis. It's when the system and psyche is overwhelmed by a major paradigm shift and there's no room to adapt to such a massive change...and weak egos and minds are totally saturated with opportunities that they aren't mature enough to handle.
We always assume that when people are traumatized, the cause is from a negative occurrence.
Events that would be deemed as gratuitously positive or serendipitous events also are highly stressful and traumatizing to the system, too.
Take for example, Dave Chappelle. He rose to fame in such an epic way, in a short period of time. He had built some clout as a comedian on local circuits for years, but The Dave Chappelle Show put him on a different playing field.
The show was insanely popular and he was even offered a contract to renew the show, if I recall correctly, for 50 million dollars.
Suddenly, after a rant on stage during one of his show tapings, he disappeared from the public eye and no one could locate him. There were speculations of suicide, drug use, and so forth.
Eventually he reemerged into the public eye and explained that he just needed a break from reality. He explained that he wanted to go someplace where no one would recognize him.
"Coming here [South Africa], I don't have the distractions of fame. It quiets the ego down. I'm interested in the kind of person I've got to become. I want to be well rounded and the industry is a place of extremes. I want to be well balanced. I've got to check my intentions, man."
I was impressed by his sense of self-awareness. I think he was feeling on the verge of some kind of break and he knew it. So much fame and fortune and it was getting to him... I think he was losing himself.
Let's say you won the lottery...and you were getting 150 million dollars. In one day, you go from your usual reality to this brand new experience of being that much richer and advantageous. Suddenly all of these options are open to you. You never have to worry about money again. It literally changes your life potentially forever. You also attract all kinds of people into your life, but you have NO idea whether or not they are attracted to you for the legit reasons. That's an added stressor...
People are totally all around you, you are crazy popular, you are the center of attention all of the time...in addition to the given money.
I think a lot of people would assume they'd be cool about this and rational, but if you have any issues or weaknesses that relate to your ego, your self-perception, your self-esteem, anything like that, such a drastic change WILL abrasively test you and show you your core.
Most people aren't going to be able to handle that and I think it is very important to keep yourself well-grounded in such extreme circumstances. To keep close to usual and everyday things, and as Dave Chappelle mentioned, to CHECK YOURSELF.
We can also see this in athletes that become famous nearly overnight, actors/actresses, child stars who become dethroned as they get older, and various celebrity personalities/figures.
I think people who become famous through business ventures are probably more paced and grounded because they have to earn their money over time and deal with things from the ground up. There are rare cases where a business idea or venture can suddenly send someone into fame and fortune (Napster, Pet Rock, etc.), but those sorts of stories aren't usual.