Let The Games Begin

Unless one goes for a draw, withdrawal, stalemate or is disqualified, there will be losers and winners in any sports competition.  While some are fortunate enough to be given worthy opponents, others don’t have such luck and are forced to face contestants who do don’t even have the slightest idea of what true sportsmanship is all about.  In either situation, people play to win and the win itself carries a different meaning for different people.  Therefore in grasping what winning will mean to the opponent, one shall be able to estimate how much of preparation, sacrifice, perseverance, resilience and effort that would probably go into the anticipated match that is about to take place.  No pain no game as they say.

‘On one side of the coin’, sports for the individual provides a healthy avenue for exercise and in principle feeds the person’s self-esteem in continuing to progress towards greater heights.  For the team that the person represents, sports build morale, unity and in professional cases create a commercial value by way of merchandise and creativity.  On the other side, are the ‘stake-holding’ spectators to the sport which can exert pressure to the extent of using and causing foul-play, that totally diminishes the whole purpose and spirit of the sporting event in the first place.  For such ‘esprit de corps’, there is much more for them to lose or gain than meets the eye.

The ultimate blessing of a championship game, is that the opponents are able to look at one another in the eye.  Despite the sore-losers, re-matches and appeals that may rise at the end of the game, it’s atleast during the point in time of the sport action itself, all eyes, ears and hopes are able to watch and cheer for the sports-men and women that do demonstrate their best in bringing pure sportsmanship to where it is due, especially in the likelihood of having all odds held against them.                        

Taking A Moment Of Fresh Air

In A Gregorian Calendar, a whole year is approximately equivalent to 52 weeks or 8,736 hours ( 24 hours X 7 days X 52 weeks ).  So in a year, minus all the typical hours that we spend daily on work, chores, sleep, on meals and even in the restroom, it doesn’t really leave us that much time for the things that we really want to do, if we are not careful with what is urgent and important.   

Since the dawn of time, there is a vast world waiting to be explored in the great outdoors, if somehow there was a way to make time to discover them.  What is enlightening is that The Will, Powers and Perfection of The Divine are just partly demonstrated by the Core of the Earth to as far as the Final Frontier of Space.  However one’s quest to be entwined with our mother nature needs both the whole-hearted determination and capability in order to successfully encounter any uncertain obstacle that may have not yet made its way into our books.

When we are out there, The ‘Law Of The Jungle’ applies and this is just the beginning.  Therefore to ensure that the expedition does minimal hazard to the people that are with us, is for everyone to embrace this particular law that has been proven through time and again, to have no limits at all.    

Are They Domesticated Pets or More Like ‘Avatars’ ?

Being now the dominant species on Earth, every living person carries the responsibility of ensuring the proper living care and respect is given to all other living species co-existing with us.  By being sympathetic or empathetic, preferably both, there is no harm on being moderate in imposing our will upon beings that we do have an inter-dependency relationship with, in one way or the other.

Before Abraham Maslow added the human need for Self-Transcendence, his theory emphasized the needs that involve Physiological, Safety, Love and Belonging, Esteem and Self-Actualization.  If we pay a little bit more close attention to how pets (or animals) behave towards their surroundings, we would notice that they’d surprisingly have similar tendencies as elaborated by those exact same needs.  Although living species do differ in terms of their average life-spans and reasoning, the environmental changes are what shape behaviour as the saying goes that ‘the more things change, the more they remain the same’.

For computers, the ‘Master-Slave’ architecture carries a totally different logic as compared to an entirely extreme circumstance when the same terminology describes how living things treat each other.  Although the latter is weaker than the former, the time will come in handy when at the very least, some living being, if not a person, does have something good to say or remember us by.      

Walk it Like You Talk it

Due to the vast build up of knowledge, the need to ethically preserve wisdom and experience for the future generation is a must.  Reading materials provide both a strategic and tactical avenue for the current generation to refer to, and perhaps share their findings with those still around us.  Done correctly, the learning process becomes much faster as it is ludicrous for any one person to even try to know and remember everything at the same time.  Plus, what is obvious about what has been written down is simply that it must have been about something important and it must have been there for a reason not to be forgotten.

When one is unable or chooses not to physically see or hear, the next alternative would be to gauge their presence through their imagination.  When speaking of life events that have happened in the past or about those transpiring in the present, any event will only have a useful meaning once it has been put in writing.  Then from this point onwards, it allows their readers to independently develop an understanding of what has been written, whenever and from wherever they are.

As the world’s multilingual society develops for the better, so do the fields of studies that were necessary to bring about such progress.  Reading materials allow us all to imprint our names and contributions that were brought upon by us, and by those who have lived or passed on before us.  For a good reason, a written material can be either accepted, applicable, continued from the point that it was ‘left off’, or challenged for its credibility.  However for any reason a reader wants to do so, will only ‘carry weight’ when he or she also reciprocates in writing.                                  

If It Walks Like A Duck, And Quacks Like A Duck, Then It Probably Is A Duck

Where would we be without Laughter ? It is one of those things that livens up our day, and one of the most effective means of drawing some real attention.     Like the famous ‘Three Stooges’, there are also 3 possibilities as to where any joke is meant to be for, either on ourselves, or on to another person (singular) or implicated to a group of people (plural).  To put it simply, either the joke is on me, on him or her, or on them.  The closer the meaning of a joke is to what is happening in reality, the funnier the joke will definitely be and appeal to its listeners (or recipients).  Plus the simpler the words that are used to make up the joke, the more effective will the message be felt by the ‘intended listener’.

Commonly there are no rules to a joke, for as long as the ‘Joker’ gives the general listener a fair chance, moment, place, method and choice as to whether or not, to respond.  As for the ‘intended listener’, the same applies, on top of either he or she in being capable to realize that the joke had been directed towards him, her or them.  However, just because there are no rules nor boundaries, it is always wise to be cautious in what is being joked about, and the information that the joke is based upon.  This is because these days, it does not take much for a joke to totally backfire, or worse even ‘miss-fire’ from its initial purpose that will then pose a living nightmare back to the ‘Joker’.

So in today’s sophisticated environment combined with all sorts of human personalities, jokes are getting more interesting in the ways of how they are being presented to us and by whom they are presented by.  Surprisingly jokes these days which are creatively used to spread harmony, are just as much abused to inflict pain upon others.  This shows that any ‘Joker who does mean well’ in bringing Laughter to our Hearts, does have a ‘Clown villain’ that only wants to bring Sorrow to the Soul.        

Two Heads Are Better Than One

The best things in life are free, otherwise they should at least appear to be so. In talking about assets, they come in forms of either tangible or intangible ones.  For the former, there can usually be a 'price-tag' and 'monetary value' attached to them, while the latter's value is defined only by the beholder.  A very good way to come to terms with what we already have as an asset, is to appreciate them, so as to be reminded as well of the many other forgotten opportunities in life.  

Regardless whether we are just discovering or are in the middle of an effort to obtain assets, what counts is the sort of character that we become in the process of owning those assets.  Unlike the respectable few who humbly never forget their origins, the other extreme tend to drift into selfish acts which exploit other people, in order to fulfil their endless desire in being seen to be superior.  As assets do contribute to one's self-esteem, the actual satisfaction of having any asset is when the time comes to reminisce, he or she is able to maintain a clear conscience from all the effort, mechanism, sacrifice and risk that were put into the 'Equation'.    

As compared to the Principles of Leadership, problems relating to assets tend to occur when people start to think that 'Two Heads are NOT better than One'.  In Economics, this scenario would generally be described as the 'Abundance Versus Scarcity' Mentalities.  However, the worst of all problems in relation to Assets are manifested when one steals the assets of others, for whatsoever reason.  This is because not all victims are able to move on with their lives, until they are having the 'Upper-Hand' in setting things Right.

To Learn Infinitively Is What Makes Education Applicable

In one way or the other, life is not easy, it never was and it never will be.  However, we can gradually make life a lot less difficult through the 'Holistic' form and perspective of Education.  One definition of such Holistic Education is I quote 'Ron Miller (founder of the journal Holistic Education Review~now entitled Encounter: Education for Meaning and Social Justice), ''...a philosophy of education based on the premise that each person finds identity, meaning, and purpose in life through connections to the community, to the natural world, and to humanitarian values such as compassion and peace. Holistic education aims to call forth from people an intrinsic reverence for life and a passionate love of learning...".     

Formally or informally blessed with choice and free will, we can learn about anything, using anything, from anyone, at anywhere and during anytime.  If there is anything good from this Earth that nobody can ever take away from us, that be the knowledge that comes from all our learnings put together.  Because we may from time to time be deprived of a situation, our resilience is a unique trait which can best be built upon our past learnings or experiences.  Hence it is not only the level of Education (which includes Academics) that is paramount, the application of it is what really makes a difference.

Although some may call it 'street-smart' while others prefer the term Experts or Specialists, it will be our Education factor that will dominantly determine our character and how far we can possibly contribute to society.  Occasionally it does involve a process of 'Un-learning' as well, as society decides to share and pass on the accumulated wisdom onto its future generations, who are exposed to the phrase 'Garbage In, Garbage Out', as also true to the saying, 'What Goes Around, Does Come Around'.        

Combinations Of The Possible To Achieve The Impossible

Regardless of demographics, humans by nature are political beings. Any Cause that is fought for, has a hierarchy that is usually Pioneered by Leaders, Engineered by Loyal Followers (who for some later become their Leader's Successor), Managed by Trustees, while those still left remaining are perceived to be either their supporters, spectators, 'by-standers' or the un-informed.  A Cause would then be faced with a status-quo set of Adversities which are constituted by a similar hierarchy of Opponents, where both sides can vary in terms of magnitude, but yet they Compete with one another for maximum territory.

'Territory' here includes elements of influence, obedience, resources, legacy, geography or glory.  The objective of the competition is usually to introduce, to maintain or to expand a territory by utilizing all or any Means necessary that are non-contradictory to the Cause itself and does not jeopardize the integrity of its constituents.  While the ordinary 'Means' are typically inclined towards diplomacy, more often the constraints of the Cause usually permeates unorthodox strategies that have been proven their effectiveness in times of necessity.

As the stakes of the Cause become higher, the possibility of a 'draw or stalemate' between the Competitors tend to diminish.  In this extreme circumstance however, both the victorious and the defeated despite their accomplishments, would still have been severed to a certain extent.  Therefore it is imperative that before such severity develops to a 'point of no return' and translates into tragic losses, the Cause must have its avenues and receive its fair share of compromise, that functions to intervene for the betterment of the common good.