This morning, sitting in the car with my dad, I think… I’ve got it.
You know how life is often compared to a game of chess? Well, here the story on weiqi (where the players use black and white seeds to fill up spaces on the board) that started me thinking. Here it goes:
One day, two old men were sitting in the park, playing weiqi. Now, their game was played extremely slowly and the people who where watching them got impatient. The first old man said with a smile:
“Do you know that by taking ten minutes to make a move, we are already playing very quickly? There is this grand master who takes an hour just to make a move.”
To which, some one watching commented:
“Oh please! Are you not ashamed of yourself? Comparing your game to the grand master’s game?”
The second old man replied:
“A game of chess is an enjoyable activity. However, the moment the game begins, as the board fills up, the game is actually moving towards its death. When all the spaces are filled up, the game dies and you would have to clear the board.
Moreover, playing quickly gives the game a lot of sha-qi (sense of violence), and it no longer stays a game between friends.
It’s still better to play slowly.”
At his wise reply, none of the by-standers made any more complaints.
Isn’t life also like this? Often, we rush through our lives, not waiting and thinking things through. Impatience then becomes the root of many wrong decisions.
An actress once said that playing herself is the most difficult role. Coz in life, there’s no script to follow, no rehearsals, no NG… and we have to bear the consequences of all our actions.
The way I see it, everything must be seen in perspective.
This morning, in my dad’s car, we were listening to some tapes. Dad said in passing that he bought those tapes ten years ago when he was stationed in Taiwan. I had one of those moments again. It has been ten years… Ten years ago, I was 12. I completed my PSLE before going to Taiwan to visit my dad. Wow… ten years…
Then I think I got it. One month may seem significant at this moment and every day may be hard to live through. But time has this way of rushing by very quickly on hindsight. Therefore, what ever that’s bothering you today, let it be. Because when you think about it another day, it was just one month, situated in one semester, of one academic year, part of one phase in your life… when I’m 80, I might not even remember why I wrote this.
I have this friend whose opinion I value. And even though the statement might not be directed at me, it makes a lot of sense now. I cannot remember the exact words but the gist of it is:
“Why do people do strange things to mark the end of an event? It will always be there, in the past, just move on.”
First impression, I thought that the statement was unfeeling. But as I think about it, it makes a lot of sense. What’s the point of making changes to eradicate memories? The fact is that what has happened has happened. Yes, there are consequences to be borne. Yes, it is valid to have emotional reactions. But nothing one does can change the past.
Life is beautiful and potentially long. You’ll never know when it’ll end. So, look forward but live well now.
I wasted yesterday. Today will be better.
You know how life is often compared to a game of chess? Well, here the story on weiqi (where the players use black and white seeds to fill up spaces on the board) that started me thinking. Here it goes:
One day, two old men were sitting in the park, playing weiqi. Now, their game was played extremely slowly and the people who where watching them got impatient. The first old man said with a smile:
“Do you know that by taking ten minutes to make a move, we are already playing very quickly? There is this grand master who takes an hour just to make a move.”
To which, some one watching commented:
“Oh please! Are you not ashamed of yourself? Comparing your game to the grand master’s game?”
The second old man replied:
“A game of chess is an enjoyable activity. However, the moment the game begins, as the board fills up, the game is actually moving towards its death. When all the spaces are filled up, the game dies and you would have to clear the board.
Moreover, playing quickly gives the game a lot of sha-qi (sense of violence), and it no longer stays a game between friends.
It’s still better to play slowly.”
At his wise reply, none of the by-standers made any more complaints.
Isn’t life also like this? Often, we rush through our lives, not waiting and thinking things through. Impatience then becomes the root of many wrong decisions.
An actress once said that playing herself is the most difficult role. Coz in life, there’s no script to follow, no rehearsals, no NG… and we have to bear the consequences of all our actions.
The way I see it, everything must be seen in perspective.
This morning, in my dad’s car, we were listening to some tapes. Dad said in passing that he bought those tapes ten years ago when he was stationed in Taiwan. I had one of those moments again. It has been ten years… Ten years ago, I was 12. I completed my PSLE before going to Taiwan to visit my dad. Wow… ten years…
Then I think I got it. One month may seem significant at this moment and every day may be hard to live through. But time has this way of rushing by very quickly on hindsight. Therefore, what ever that’s bothering you today, let it be. Because when you think about it another day, it was just one month, situated in one semester, of one academic year, part of one phase in your life… when I’m 80, I might not even remember why I wrote this.
I have this friend whose opinion I value. And even though the statement might not be directed at me, it makes a lot of sense now. I cannot remember the exact words but the gist of it is:
“Why do people do strange things to mark the end of an event? It will always be there, in the past, just move on.”
First impression, I thought that the statement was unfeeling. But as I think about it, it makes a lot of sense. What’s the point of making changes to eradicate memories? The fact is that what has happened has happened. Yes, there are consequences to be borne. Yes, it is valid to have emotional reactions. But nothing one does can change the past.
Life is beautiful and potentially long. You’ll never know when it’ll end. So, look forward but live well now.
I wasted yesterday. Today will be better.
cLoUd DriFteD bY @ Wednesday, April 13, 2005 |
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