Wednesday, March 30, 2005

The game of life

The howling wind in the background faded, as this part of the conversation came to life ...


"Let's play a game."

"And what game is this?"

"Well, it won't be a game anymore if I tell you what it is."

"But you need to tell me the rules at least."

"You will figure out the rules, as you go along."

"But what if I make mistakes?"

"You will learn from those mistakes."

"That is not fair."

"Yes, I know."

"Then it might be a game to you, but not to me."

"Who said it was a game to you? I just said 'Let's play a game'."

"Okay, let's assume that I play along. How will I know that I have won?"

"You won't"

"I won't know I have won, or I won't win?"

"Whichever way you want to look at it."

"I need some answers here."

"You won't know if you have won even if you win, as a consequence you will not win."

"Why should I play the game at all?"

"Because it is not a game to you."

"Then what is it?"

"Your life."


... The howling wind came back to life, and this part on, the conversation faded.


24 comments:

mermaid said...

You know A, I was so struck by this one. I often have conversations like this with someone...God? Nature? Myself? All I know is, the answers always appear at the "right" time, though I never realize this till the moment is gone.

Thank you for this.

Jyotsna said...

A,i found this piece amazing..the manner in which it starts,the sequence and how well it shows our eternal questioning of our life and its process.I feel this questioning and natural curiousity is what keeps us alive and vibrant in our daily living.
Loved this piece.
Thanks

Aradhita said...

Yes, dont u wish to know the rules at least sometimes... yet it is the instinct that keeps us going...

cheers for the much needed 1 cup of life you provide ever so often :-)

AmitKen said...

this is so amazing!
something on the lines of "Gita" which says us to do the 'karma' and not to worry about 'phala'.

but how badly do we want to have the 'phala', to know if we won the game.

Elixir said...

lol. really dono wat 2 say. its so true that it cuts deep.

gulnaz said...

wow, so true too.
"You won't know if you have won even if you win, as a consequence you will not win."
knowing that you have wom becomes as important as winning...hmmm.

Ubermensch said...

great
figured in the second line
loved the idea..

AJ said...

Chilling...and you pulled it off nicely. This reminds me of the epic chess game with "Death" in the Arthurian Grail saga. Or, to contemporize, the character of "Death" in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett.

Pincushion said...

Yes indeed. LIFE. That sums it all up nicely except that the answers never quite add up!
Thank you.

G Shrivastava said...

Cool stuff - rather diff reaction frm everyone who seem to have been hit by this piece - reminded me so much of Waiting for Godot - ofcourse more angst there, and absurdist theatre at it's best, but this was like so deja vu for me...
Cool writing august! You rock!

Anonymous said...

y'know 5 days i dont have the internet and people post left, right and centre. I keep having these talks with myself...Really, you're just the twillight zone. Did anyone read those books?

livinghigh said...

i know what Phal means abt ppl posting left right and centre just wen u urself seem to be all busy at work (and stuff!) ;-). wellllllllll.... ;-) the qna thingy was fun, mean slightly, but yea, fun! ;-) i wud luv to play god sometime, can I? can I? can I?

(this is de part where I become Rahul Almighty)

PS: the earlier post was very soothing.. and provoking. I;m not sure whether I agree with sex's thinking on the past and future, but hell, it was definitely interesting - as was the concept of the aeroplane wing.

PPS: is ure camera gifted to u by advanced aliens or something? ;-)

Jessica said...

As ever, WOW! You amaze me.

Anonymous said...

A,one can write pages and pages on each line of ur post and still not capture it the way its been done here! Its one of the best pieces I have ever read ... something thats not new but still leaves u thinking...

S.L. Corsua said...

ahh, frustration. mankind as a cup that refuses to be filled to the brim.

. : A : . said...

PoeticMermaid - It is strange that we never realise it till the moment is gone.

Jyotsna - Thanks. Agree that questioning is what keeps us alive.

Aradhita - Thanks. It is instinct vs. rules. :-)

AmitKen, gulnaz - Thanks. Knowing you have won, sometimes is as important as winning.

Elixir - Not too deep I hope! ;-)

Ubermensch, Ariel - Thanks.

Pincushion - The answers don't need to add up. ;-)

Geetanjali - Yes, it shows the different perspectives and interpretations. Thanks.

Phal the Kind - Like the new title! :-)

livinghigh - No, it is a Canon digital that I use!

Jessica - :-)

thoughts - Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.

the_soulless - Yes, it does.

Anonymous said...

Life's definately a game we don't know the rules and we'll never know it if we win! It's such a weird thing when you think about it and it makes me wonder whats after?

Miss Qt
miss-qt.com

. : A : . said...

Miss Qt - Yes, it does make you wonder.

esclava - Nice to have you back.

IdeaSmith said...

its chilling and leaves one with a sense of deja vu...brilliant.

The Bard said...

i dont think i wud wana knw the rules ...though at times i wish i knew it before hand. but it is these little surprises n sometimes those shocks that make life worth living. n abt winning....is it important?? does it matter?? is it not enough that u r stil playing the game?? as they say in every competition participation is what counts....

Neets said...

All i can say- I simply lived this piece. :)

. : A : . said...

IdeaSmith, Nita Arvind - Thanks for dropping by my blog and commenting.

la devil - Thanks for your perspective. Appreciate it, as usual.

Anonymous said...

it dint hit me. nt the essence. but uv excelled at the style. r u aware of indian music. i assume u r. hrd the song tadap tadap... the last para. n also n old raj kapur song kahe ko duniya banaii...

. : A : . said...

sneha - Thanks. Have not heard the songs though.