Game

Manoj was reflective that evening. His wife noticed it with a heavy heart but did not comment. She left him to his thoughts and silently remained in the background. He was diagnosed with late-stage cancer and had only few months to live.

He felt cheated. For him, always life was like a game of chess. Early on in life he realized that there could be many players in the game and if you don’t play with them, they will play with you. So, wanting or not wanting, we are dragged into this game called life. He also knew also that chess is a game of brain, not of heart. He indulged in life’s game to the hilt and with his intelligence and cunningness played politics in the village and ruined several lives. He would lend money to the villagers, who would pledge their land and at a very sensitive moment Manoj would claim for repayment of loan or take away the land, ruthlessly. There were moments when one or two people challenged him. He knew no one ever won a game of chess by taking only forward moves. Sometimes you have to move backwards to take a better step forward. He would employ all means to remain a winner in the game.

We play the game amongst ourselves at one level and there are winners and losers. But remember the ultimate game is played by the Creator himself and we are mere pieces in his hand, and he has the final say. When Manoj was diagnosed with cancer, he felt cheated and like a looser. In the game that the creator played he was looser. He never acknowledged and understood that life’s game, like any other game has some rules to be followed. You may flout the rules and win, but in the end, you must pay for the lapses.

 Let us all remember that the game of life is also a game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, words and deeds return to us sooner or later with astounding accuracy. If we understand this, we will think good, speak good and do good to everyone. We will be at ease with life and go with the flow. Life ceases to be a game and without being players we will be winners.