Glorious Game

It's been a while. The new year has begun. I am now 24. And I have lost a very dear person in the last few weeks. I will try to keep my thoughts organized, but I can't guarantee that I won't turn this into a giant rant. Because after all, that is what you are here to read anyway.

I have written about my grandfather before. However, it saddens me to refer to him in the past tense. He might not be here physically, but I am sure his principles and teachings are continuing his legacy by inspiring the lives of his wonderful children and grandchildren. He liked to engage in discussion and learn about new phenomena. He enjoyed traveling and playing the flute. But my dearest memories of him bring forth a very child-like character. He would play games with me, learn with me and also indulge in mischief. But that is what he considered life. A child's game. Not one to be taken seriously, but instead an experience to enjoy and cherish. Like any game, you win some and you lose some, but at the end of it, you wrap up the board, boil a pot of tea and just open up another game.

And so I have. I closed a few boards in my life and opened up new ones. I am making my moves carefully, but those damn dice have a mind of their own. So what do I do? I just play. Other players can join or leave as they please, but this time I'm playing to win. Here I am faced with another old problem. What about cheating? Is that okay as long as I win in the end? Ah, but in the game of life, you only live by the rules that you define. :)

So then it's okay to tweak those moves a little and make amends, say a little prayer before rolling the dice, and conveniently collaborating with another player. These forms of modulation are in fact necessary to succeed in the ever glorious game. Here I am, creating smaller games in this mega-tournament. Every task is a puzzle and every action is a move. If my calculation is correct, this time around, I've started off strong. Other players are already collaborating with me. Some just don't know it yet. My faith has found a permanent place. And perhaps my ego has enhanced this quality.

Playing these mini-games is almost an addiction now. Sometimes I play them unconsciously. On other occasions, I ponder retrospectively, analyzing every move made by me and by my opponent. I assign points, perhaps in a biased manner, because I always win. And the wins make the game even more enjoyable ( a positive feedback loop?).

As a conclusion to this ridiculous rant, I will pay some tribute to my latest game. Its key players are undeniably the most important people in my life. This game is strange, because the winner doesn't have to defeat the opponent, he just has to bring the opponent to his side. It's a tug of war. It's an intellectual debate. It's an adventure. It's the best game I've ever started!

I'll end with a very dear line from my favorite book, Catcher in the Rye, "Life is a game, boy."

ps: While I engage in my own exaggerated matches, I wish the Indian Cricket team the very best on the upcoming World-Cup! :)