Sorry….Charlie!

Sorry….Charlie!

©Allen Merritt (2016)

From time to time I will find a nickel, dime, penny or quarter on the street. I always associate these finds with good luck, which is always fun. I mean, who wouldn’t wish for some good luck, right? I also notice playing cards lying on the ground such as an Ace, Jack or Queen. And I wonder how they end up on the street or if there’s any significant meaning they might provide.

Interestingly, the other day I found a card from a board game called “Sorry” lying on the sidewalk.

It read as follows, “Take a pawn from START and switch places with an opponent. Then bump the opponent back to START or move forward 4.” My mind began racing. What insight can one obtain from this one little statement?

• By switching places with another you could learn what it means to walk in another man’s shoes.
• By bumping someone else backward to the starting line and moving yourself forward one might be stepping on others to move up the ladder, so to speak.
• By taking a ‘pawn’ and switching them with your ‘opponent’ you could be putting someone else in harm’s way.

Wow, many directions one might go.

Now, the last part of the second line also gives you a chance to do something different. It says “…or move forward 4.” I see this as an interesting dichotomy, because you can either send your opponent back to start or let them stay right where they are and take advantage of a personal benefit of moving forward. In other words, you have a choice. It’s a window of opportunity. You either play dirty and push someone back (or down) or you simply take advantage of an opportunity to move forward without pushing around someone else. Play fair or NOT! Either way you look at it, you gain some awareness by playing the game.

Isn’t it interesting to consider those possibilities? Board games tend to reflect human nature and teach us how to strategize and/or conquer with the singular idea of making it to the finish line first and/or focusing exclusively on winning the game at any cost. I mean, think about it. There is the game of LIFE, OPERATION, GO FISH, MOUSETRAP, MONOPOLY and many more. These are just games, right? Can’t take them too seriously, right?

We can always shrug off games once we finish. After all, we are only passing time and having a little fun. But for anyone who takes it to the next level and gets overly caught up in them it could have serious outcomes and consequences.

Personally, I do not like playing games in life (not board games). I am referring to when people “play games” with you or expect you to play their game in order to move forward in life or meet a specific outcome. So what if these games weren’t games at all? What if they were true reflections of who we are in real life? Would we consider the outcomes differently? I wonder.

For example, competitive sports can hurt a player deeply enough to consider suicide. In fact, this was a major headline recently.

Professional gaming may bankrupt a person as does playing the odds in the stock market.

People who play mind games on others cause deep psychological trauma as often as not.

Games are either fun or place individuals in the middle of a life or death situation.

I suppose games in real life have a real cause and effect.

Which cause and effect would you choose?

For me, as I ponder the scope of games, I would rather everyone have a fair chance to win. The odds or not always good and usually we work with the idea that there is only one winner. But in my opinion, life allows all of us to be winners and losers. The best route to take is to aim for a win-win situation in most cases, which sounds really positive and healthy to me.

A game, after all, is only a game. It isn’t real life unless you make it real.  Something to think about!

Either way, don’t forget to have fun and not sweat it too much.

Have a good week and enjoy living life On a Positive Note!

Cheers!