The world as a chess board

The world is no different than a chess board. We are all aligned in such a way to perform functions and reach certain objectives. However, we see ourselves either like the players or the actual chess board and its pieces. We confine ourselves to a standard that is predetermined and if we dare wander off then we lose our position in this world. This might not be so bad...In this small confined space, which we call earth, we strategise against opponents and attempt to judge their very moves in the hopes of anticipating future ones. We invest all our mental efforts and emotions into beating our opponents and in the end our lives have become all about this game - optimising our self interest at every turn sometimes at the cost of preserving the decent souls we have.

Is it not unnatural to feel anxious, untrusting and angry most of the time? The only reason why we constantly feel like this is because we subject ourselves to rules that were never meant to be binding on the human soul. We have in mind legitimised a Darwinian theory of life and we fight bloody hard to stay on top, or at the very least, amongst the leaders. The only gains of such fights are:

-Gain status, but at the cost of what?

-Gain wealth, but at the cost of what?

-Gain power, but at the cost of what?

 

Our philosophy about life is completely flawed from so many angles (if the objective is to gain status, wealth or power) . We do not always measure the costs of our actions. Instead we become utterly consumed by our objectives that we even become willing to forgo a sense of decency. Is this not what happened to many corrupt bankers and investors whose sole purpose in life was to maximise wealth? They did this at a huge cost and in the process lost themselves completely. Fortunately there exists a self-correcting mechanism which forces man to rethink who he is and what is truly worth pursuing. For these corrupt bankers it is either jail time or poverty which enables them to reassess their lives and hence, objectives. Nonetheless, we often confuse defeating our opponents through brute-force with defeating opponents because it was your fate in any case.  This might sound like complete nonsense to any secular person, but the notion of how to defeat opponents is completely valid for someone who believes in something higher than himself. This is also where we start to define and calculate the various costs involved in defeating any opponent.

 

Sometimes doing a counterfactual simulation helps put things into perspective: How would your life be significantly enriched if you were able to satisfy your immediate earthly desires (this desire of course is a promotion)? Well, if your derived utility from wealth, status and power is high, then of course it would make sense to gain this at all costs (staying within legal limits). But this brings me to a question that we have all asked ourselves at one stage in our lives? What does it really mean to have power, wealth and status? Am I really that much richer as a person if I posses those attributes? Do I understand the most fundamental questions about life anymore that a person who lives in abject poverty? I think if we all truly answered these questions our own pride and vanity would be exposed! Of course wealth does nothing to happiness; power brings often unbearable responsibility and accountability and status lasts only as long as your active duty to others lasts. You see, deep down in our hearts we all wish to leave a legacy. The sad thing is that your name might go down into the annals of history but in death you will have no recollection of such achievements. The world will also fade and with it your legacy. We become emotional because we expose bits and pieces of ourselves to the world. We want to be acknowledged and we want praise. Sometimes we even want to change the world, the emphasis falling on I!

The point that I am trying to get across is that there is more to life and that you should set worthy goals and objectives that are truly good for you and for the rest of mankind. What I am questioning is whether we are sincerely pursuing such goals and objectives. The best and most successful leaders are those that were destined to lead. The Bible is full of awesome examples of such leaders. Joshua who was rejected by his brother maintained a course that was set on worshipping God. As a consequence God blessed him and made him second only to Pharaoh. David was a herdsman who was shy and small yet God chose him because of his faith. The point is that some people are just destined for certain things. The only thing that truly matters is your worship to God. The rest hardly matters. Perhaps God protects us by not allowing us to get what we desire. Perhaps we are not ready to lead man in that way. Because what we really want is for other men to follow. That does not make us great and inspirational leaders. We might have started off like this, but somewhere on this journey we became confused and took a completely different path.

 

This is actually awesome news even though you might be hurting at the moment. All that this implies is that there are far more worthier goals. Small calibrations are necessary for us to lead us to the point of complete joy. What gives us this joy is to have purpose. And the greatest purpose is to serve God. When we say we believe in God, we need to believe His scriptures. He tells us that everything that happens (whether good or bad), will be to the good for those who believe and rely on Him. This is the ultimate test of our faith! Kierkegaard has written extensively on this aspect of putting your complete trust in God. You have to take the leap of faith or suffer the fate of despair. Without faith the only reality you have is absolute despair! Nothing has meaning except God. The writer of Proverbs beat Kierkegaard centuries ago regarding this idea: all is but chaff blown away by the wind, and all that has substance is servitude and faith in God. These are profound statements but so vitally true, illuminating and refreshing.

 

I hope this makes sense. And I definitely hope I don't come across as a conceited person. I am genuinely concerned for your and my own wellbeing. This logic has helped me and I thought it worthwhile to share it with you. It is my own brokenness that has kept me from living a life that is truly awesome, but this same brokenness redirected me to a life that I can pursue which I know will be truly awesome. I hope you, like me, can acknowledge it. It is definitely a step in the right direction and puts things into much needed perspective.