Don't trap yourself with the bridges you burn » Control your breaking point Elliot Chan # Opinions Editor ‘we, M opinions@theotherpress.ca h, the satisfying feeling of completely destroying something—like a relationship— that you don’t want to bea part of anymore. Whether it be romantic or professional, leaving something is never easy. Sometimes it happens through mutual understanding, and other times it occurs as a tug-o-war, pulling until the tether that binds yourself and your counterpart snaps. There are many articles and forums out there discussing the positives of burning bridges. One reason offered is so that you will never have to return to that place, be if physical or emotional, ever again. By severing your ties completely, you can only look forward and not back. It’s always tempting to go back to a comfort zone, even if the comfort zone is most often uncomfortable, and at times painful. Many people who break up from a relationship find themselves back together again, going through the same turbulence as before—but the turbulence is comforting because it is familiar. Sometimes burning the bridge is the only way to move on. By burning the bridge with your former employer, you can almost be certain you would not have to end up in that shitty : job again. However, while this : practice might have been true, : and perhaps advantageous, in : previous years, it is not anymore. : When you burn a bridge with a : company, you don’t just burn it : with the boss, you let the entire : team down. People talk and they : will talk about your tactlessness : and your true colours. You let : pride get in the way of your job. It’s asmall world out there and people aren't fixed to one : job anymore. While you’ve left : your previous employment : inasmoldering mess, others : might have exited graciously. : These people might even be : your former boss. These people : might cross paths with you : again—odds are they will, if you : stay in the same career path. The next time you decide : to rip your employers and/or : co-workers apart before exiting : into hellfire, remember that : you are not making any grand : statement. You are trapping : yourself into a persona. Whatever : : attributes you obtained during —: : your employment will be erased. : You will be the loose cannon : who wouldn't compromise. If you have a choice, which : you always do, you should choose : to take the higher ground and : bow out with class and dignity. : Nobody will feel sorry for you : or congratulate you for burning : bridges and posting about how : you stuck you middle finger : out at your superiors on social Image via thinkstock media. Nobody cares about you : if you don’t care about others. Yes, burning bridges will help : you eliminate options you don't : want, but it’s like a wildfire: you : might destroy some opportunities : you desire in the future. You : cannot control how other : people will view you after such : destructiveness. You cannot stop : people from being wary of you. : You were a bridge burner. What’s : tosay you wont do it again? The powerless and the Powerball » Is gambling worth the price? Elliot Chan Opinions Editor ‘we, M opinions@theotherpress.ca I; not a gambler. I live by the virtues of earning what I have—not winning it through gambling. Some people call gambling a “stupid person tax” and IJ don’t disagree. However, unlike tax, gambling comes with a little bit of hope; hope that this game of chance can alter your life for the better. But studies have found it not to be true. Winning the lottery does not enhance life overall, just in materialistic ways. There have been cases of lottery winners going bankrupt, of fraudulent tax returns, of robbery, and of family and acquaintance sticking out their hands for a piece of the fortune. As The Notorious B.I.G. said, “Mo’ money, mo’ problems.” And money coming into your possession so quickly will create more problems : that you cannot prepare for. Earlier this month, the : Powerball broke the world : record by reaching a jackpot : of $1.6 billion. It caused a stir, : and made some non-gamblers : take a chance, entering the : pot. It is almost inconceivable : winning that amount of money. : And while the winners won't : be billionaires after taxes, their : winnings are still more than : what most people would earn : if they were to live 100 lives. The winners turned out to : be an average couple, John and : Lisa Robinson from Munford, : Tennessee. They claim that : they won't be making any : extravagant purchases. They : will use their winnings to pay off : their mortgage and debts. They : claim to be normal people and : will be keeping their current : jobs. However, they should : know they are no longer such, : and every action they make : with their funds will be heavily : criticized by their peers. To not : hoard the money is a grand : display of character. Remember, : the lottery is a stupid person : tax, and like all taxes the funds : are expected to return to the : public. They ask people to respect : their privacy, but they lost that : luxury when they went in public : to announce their winnings. : See, winning the lottery : is not a simple hand over of : money ina suitcase. There is : this whole process of proving Image via bestonlinecardealer.tk : that your ticket is not a fraud. : Winning such a large sum of : money forces you and your family : into the public eye. You must : first convince people that you : have won it. And that was the : case with the Robinsons, who : were encouraged to go onto the : Today Show and announce their : luckiness—or unluckiness. Winning the lottery— : especially one so prominently : publicized as the Powerball—is : a life-changing event. With : money there is great power, and : now it’s up to the people who : wield it to use it wisely. Should : freeloaders trick the Robinsons, : it wouldn’t be the first time. : Should the Robinsons blow it all : on extravagance, they won't be : the first. Should the Robinsons : be corrupted by the mighty : dollar, that is almost a guarantee. : They want everyone to perceive : them as normal, but there is : nothing normal about winning : a lottery of that magnitude.