# 207: Sitting on a Lottery Ticket
Story behind the Passage
Yesterday I watched Good Will Hunting. I had never seen the movie before. I discovered it by accident. I am happy I did. The movie deeply affected me. It triggered something that I do not want to explain at length right now. But I still want to write a few lines about the movie and especially the passage above. There are many memorable dialogues in the movie — especially the ones between Will and Sean, played by Robin Williams. Seeing Williams in this brilliant role is heart-breaking, given the fact that he passed away too early — that he decided to end his life way too early.
My Learnings
“I mean, you’re sittin’ on a winning lottery ticket and you’re too much of a pussy to cash it in.” What Chuckie, Will’s best friend, means in this dialogue, is that Will is highly intelligent — a genius — but he keeps wasting his potential. He screws up wherever he goes because he is filled with anger. Chuckie is not so lucky to be a genius but the touching part is that he has all this wisdom inside that he shares with Will in this instant. It is a remarkable moment in the movie, just a short time after Will’s “psychologist” Sean asked him if he had any real friends — friends that challenge his thinking. Will’s answer was that Chuckie was this friend but Williams doubted it. In this scene here, Chuckie proves both of them wrong.
I know that people probably cannot understand why you do not cash in the lottery ticket.
I can understand Will.
But I am not sure if I can cash in the ticket.
I just know that I have to try.
Reflection Questions
1) Do you have any “lottery ticket” that you do not dare cash in? Why?
2) Who is your “true” friend; one who challenges you because he/she loves you?
3) Can you understand why Chuckie actually wants Will to leave, even though they are best friends? Did you ever let someone go because you felt it was better for the other person?