Live Life in the spirit of a Game

Human Life is a Union of Soul and Nature, of Spirit and Matter 

Do you know how much energy, how many powers,how many forces are still lurking behind that frame of yours? what scientist has known all that is in man? Millions of years have passed since man first came here, and yet but one infinitesimal part of his powers has been manifested. Therefore, you must not say that you are weak. How do you know what possibilities lie behind that degradation on the the surface? You know but little of that which is within you. For behind you is the ocean of infinite power and blessedness..

Fill yourself with the ideal; whatever you do, think well on it. All your actions will be magnified, transformed, deified, by the very power of the thought. If matter is powerful, thought is omnipotent. Bring this thought to bear upon your life.fill yourself with the thoughts of your almightiness, your majesty, and your glory.

                                         - Swami Vivekananda 
   

We are living a life the way we don't want but still we are living, because we don't no what to do and we are not interested to understand the real meaning of life. but we understand Mechanical way of living.

Game of Life 

What distinguishes a game from a conflict? To understand, let us consider for example the features of a wrestling match and street fight. Both involve much pushing and jostling, and in both, the opponents try their best to outwit and outplay the other - but the similarity is only external.

wrestling has certain rules, regulations, and etiquette's to ensure fir play and equal opportunities for all competitors. Although there is stiff competition generally there is an absence of hatred or enmity. Opponents appreciate and respect each other's strengths. After a match, the loser congratulates the winner. Strangers, playing against each other in a match, often end up as friends for life. Close friends fiercely oppose each other on the court or on the field, but only during the competition. Feeling of jealousy and bitterness among opponents crop up only when the  opponents are obsessed about winning.

A sport may be played for many reasons. some play just for fun. There are others who play to earn their livelihood or to earn name and fame. 

Some believe that life is meant for enjoying various luxuries and that may keep us happy all the time. we know from bitter experiences in life that seeking material pleasures does not always mean that we will be able to achieve them.

Some people believe that the ideal of life is to earn money, name , and fame. Money helps satisfy life's many needs, but it can never be the ideal. A person may be worth billions of dollars, but if his son dies of cancer, all of it seems worthless and powerless.

We face many difficult situations in life such as medical emergencies, loss of loved one, failure in an exam, and so on. Just as a batsman prepares to face various types of delivers bowled by the opposing team, we must be ready to play the game of life. A sharp intellect that can discriminate between right and wrong, determination to succeed and tremendous faith in our capacity will help us play well.

Most of us do not care to use the intellect at all and we simply concentrate on getting an education by means of filling our heads with various facts and figures. True knowledge which comes from introspection and discovery is hence ignored. As a result, the intellect and discriminating power remain stunted and are of little use. Such people find themselves stranded and completely defeated whenever some adverse situation arises. Real education must help build character and allow the growth of a more humane personality.

Example : There were four friends, of whom three were educated in the various arts and science while the fourth, through not much educated, had an abundance of common sense. Once, while walking together through a forest, they stumbled upon a lion's carcass. The first three took this to be a good opportunity to show off their skills. The first was able to reassemble the bones and shape into a skeleton. The second friend used his skills to put back muscle and flesh and the lion appeared to be asleep. The third friend, hoping to outdo them, was about to bring it back to life when the fourth friend cautioned them about the consequences. When his learned friends refused to listen, he asked them to wait for some time and climbed up the nearest tree. As soon as the third friend infused life into the dead lion, it killed all three of them.

This shows that mere bookish knowledge, without common sense and discrimination, is of little use and can be very harmful to the owner. Education and literacy do empower an individual, but one must also imbibe the culture to feel for others and use this power to become an enlightened citizen.

 The power to discriminate between the good and bad, the right and wrong in any situation can be cultivated by developing these two faculties given to us by nature: a keen intellect to discriminate and a loving heart to feel.