THE GAME OF LIFE

 

Peace of mind is a rare commodity in today's world. In the times we are passing through, it is very difficult to heave a sigh of relief. The most erratic and unreliable elements in the society rule the roost. Incidents of physical assault and violence are taking place everywhere; people are generally selfish, fraudulent and deceitful. It is very difficult to rely upon any one. Every individual is struggling with problems; everybody is facing hardships. This world has been reduced to a battlefield, where the whole life is consumed in fighting against odds. Carrying the load of responsibilities, man feels wearied at last. He finds no peace, no happiness. In this struggle against hardships of life, some people ruin all their innate capabilities. Many find their wisdom rusted simply because they don't get opportunities to use it. It means, this tumult of life pushes many into the darkness of insignificance. And one treats life as a curse, when he fails to achieve anything significant despite the hardest labour he puts in with full conscientiousness.

On the other hand, a similar struggle turns people into great intellectuals. Many stand obliged with poetic genius. it leads some people to the highest peaks of wisdom. It produces men of letters of the highest order. Several become great philosophers. All such people, who face life with courage, consider it a boon. It means, that life for man can be a curse and a boon too.

In fact, life is a game that involves defeat as well as victory. It is another matter that nobody likes the defeat. However, one may not come across a single person anywhere in the world who may not be familiar with the bitter taste of defeat, because nobody is fortunate enough to find victory at all times. Sometimes defeat may turn into victory and at times victory may finally end up in defeat. To feel sorrowful over defeat and be proud of one's victory is a common thing. However, we must accept the defeat or victory in the game of life with the same smile on face. As a matter of fact, the present atmosphere is just not conducive for peace and happiness. Under these unpleasant circumstances we cannot dream of a healthy society. We must, therefore, accept what happens, compromise with the circumstances and learn to combat them.

No doubt, one requires double the courage and enthusiasm in order to revive the possibilities of a triumph after defeat. At the same time, it is also essential to have a stronger determination, more rational thinking, broad vision and also avoid the false sense of ego, because the circumstances are bound to remain beyond control if our determination is weak, ambitions unbridled and ego perpetual. Happiness does not lie in working like a donkey day and night. Even thinking too much and remaining anxious about everything shatters the happiness of life. It is no use going deep into every matter. For happiness we must forget certain things, while some others we must face, we must fight. In case we are rational in our thinking, firm in determination and do not stretch things too far, our circumstances may not be able to keep us their captives for long.

Generally, our problems are the product of our own temperament, our own nature. A hot temper, craziness and our anxiety to accomplish too much in too short a time, may put us on an uneven path only. We, however, tend to blame others. In case we change our own attitude, our own temperament, most of our problems may vanish automatically. It means, we can march on the pathway to glory only if we overcome our ill temper, narrow-mindedness and give up irrational thinking.

In fact, pleasure and pain are not related to the happenings outside; they depend on our inner disposition. In other words, we find happiness corresponding to our own thinking. In fact, the fascination of the worldly objects makes us selfish; we suffer from ego and fail to treat the game of life as game.

If we make up our mind to triumph over circumstances, we must not get entangled in the complications. We must try to get over the same intelligently. We should not allow the disappointment produced by the tumult of life to desecrate the temple of our heart. We must not allow our enthusiasm to go down. We must treat every defeat of ours as a stepping stone for success. We must treat every mistake of ours as a lesson to improve. In this way the struggle in life may become a boon. We may feel contented at every step. We may march through the journey of life decently. The flowers of noble qualities may bloom in the garden of life. Life may prove to be a valuable treasure and we may play the game of life with a smile.