Life is like a Chess Game
There exists a countless number of ideas what to compare life to. Some people reckon that life as a series of both positive and negative events and occurrences. Others are of the opinion that life is nothing than a zebra with a sequence of white and black stripes. Those lines affect the life of both an individual and his family and friends. Still others feel that life is a narrow dark jar filled with sour cream and their role is to beat fiercely and vigorously with both hands and legs to turn the liquid into a solid mass and, thus, be able to jump out of the blind alley and enjoy the sunlight and fresh air and blue skies…
One more idea that seems appealing is comparison of life to a chess game.
When looking into the main ideas of chess we cannot help wondering how wise they are when implied to everyday existence.
When looking deeper into the idea it is worth illustrating the point by a few vivid principles:
1. Don't take unnecessary chances. Life is a string of good and bad luck occurrences. Therefore, think more than twice before taking even small risks and try to forecast the results. For example, refrain from smoking and you might eliminate chronic and even incurable diseases.
2. Play aggressive. Our existence is a battlefield, so act in a tough way, elbow your way through the crowd, otherwise you might be pushed to the main road shoulders and, thus, all your ambitions will be put to drain. Soft and thin-skinned are not ‘in’ nowadays. Actually, they are associated with losers.
3. If you must lose a piece, get something for it if you can. The while we exist here is not always a holiday journey. At times we have to sacrifice when put in an inferior position. But even under those hard circumstances try to bargain for even a small compensation. Some people who are very ill have to have some of their vital body organs removed for the sake of life (though of a lower standard).
4. Record your games and go over them, especially the games you lost. The life span is nothing more and nothing less than a set of games. Develop your memory and try to remember not only the joys but also memorize the sorrows. The latter are no-less ‘precious’ gifts from Her Majesty Destiny that teaches you good lessons, even causing scratches and bruises to your soul and body.
5. Study rook endgames. They are the most common and most complicated. This mainly implies to the ‘strong’ sex. They claim ladies are unpredictable. Therefore, the weaker sex tends to pick quarrels and even picks off by destroying their male partners’ brilliant once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity as women are too cautious and avoid running risks.
6. Always play for a win. In other words, ‘win or lose’ turns into the most essential principle of behavior in modern society. People always take steps that seem to lead to something better and, of course, expect to win. The so-called ‘bound-to-success’ syndrome guides folks to positive outcomes regardless the cost. People are ready even to endanger their life to get to the top.
Life is far from being simple and requires a great deal of inquisitiveness, prediction, common sense, wisdom and even cold blood to feel more or less comfortable on sharp curves and tricky junctions of the Life Road. At times, our car of life skids on a wet or snowy highway or else we have to drive through a narrow bumpy tunnel and navigate an all-terrain-vehicle along a mountainous landscape.