No. It’s been my experience that instant wealth tends to amplify whatever type one was prior to becoming wealthy. It doesn’t change who you are, only increases what you can do.
Nope. A person is who they are whether they have a lot of money or a little. What a person does with a little money is what they'll do if they get a lot.
If you have a choice to keep quiet, that would be a good idea. However, many places, including my state require it to be made public. I would not claim the prize until I had consulted an attorney (to see if it could be claimed under another name, such as a trust or LLC). I don't play the lottery, but if I did and happened to win, the money would go almost in its entirety to my favorite charities.
Yes and no. Any challenge has the potential to help us become a better person if we choose. But whether we choose to use it in that way is probably already built into our character.
For me, it would depend on how much I won. If it was only a small windfall, I'd use it to fix some of our practical problems.
If it was a huge win, I'd keep only as much as necessary to provide us with security into old age. The rest, I'd split between various causes, with 90% going towards making a difference to climate change.
For instance, there's a type of oceanic aquaculture that, if it covered 10% of the world's oceans, could bring down global warming to a level that would enable life on this planet to survive and recover. Two such farms already exist, one off the coasts of Japan, the other off the coast of California. Both are successful environmentally and economically. It takes big business money to set it up.
A huge ring that floats on the surface carries ropes that drop down 50 metres and are tied to the ocean floor. The ropes grow three kinds of bivalves and kelp. The waste from the bivalves fertilises the seaweed so there is zero pollution. The kelp absorbs CO2 and excretes oxygen. It grows so fast that it can provide constant food for people and animals, as well as fertiliser for crops.
If I won the lotto, I'd set up one of those rigs off the coast of Australia. I'd also lobby for an international treaty of cooperation to decide where all the other rings would go, and ensure that none interfere with the passage of ships and migrating marine life.
Don Barzini 