So, every idea that we contend upon on this blog, I often share with friends and family to engage even more differing views. Yesterday I had two separate conversations with people. And while engaged in discussions, both of them made arguments using the exact phrases that you and I have come to as a result of discussions on this blog. The argument had become theirs. They weren't using my phrasing to be funny. Neither was aware that they were "stealing" our words. It had become truth for them, and they no longer recognized it as an idea, but their own viewpoint. I am telling you this not so much to glorify the discussions that we have here, but rather to say that the discussions you have anywhere do indeed matter. They do indeed change things. And whether or not you want to be one, you are a teacher.

People tend to buy this excuse. It seems like a pretty good rationalization. "I could either spend 20 bucks at the movie theater or $20 playing blackjack at the casino. It's all just entertainment." However, if someone wanted to go to a stripclub with that same logic, the argument isn't as strong. That's because we tend to understand that the underlying moral failings behind a stripclub is 'lust'. However, we call the moral failing of a casino, 'gambling', when it's really 'greed' and 'jealousy'. So, if you believe that the desire for money you didn't "earn" is wrong, and that risking your money on a game of chance that is not in your favor is stupid, then the next time someone says they're going gambling for entertainment, ask them if they would be just as happy playing cards at a buddy's house for no money. If not, then the gaming part isn't the recreation for that person. It's the quick possibility at wealth that's so entertaining.