How chess relates practically to people…

Level 1 - People that play chess often have to think about a lot of different things at the same time. The possible angles and forward progressions of any given piece, blended in with all the other possibilities, then sifted out to conclude that various steps will work out more advantageous down the road… these seem almost expected if the player is to actually play a successful game of chess. And more often then not, if you’re opponent wants to win, he is thinking about these things as well.
To be honest, most that I have played have wanted to win. After playing something long enough, it’s not enjoyable if you always find yourself losing. So you strain your mind to the limits, looking at all the angles in hopes that you see something that the other doesn’t. This is done best when the person feels comfortable with the pieces and unique characteristics that you have. Having this opens up an easier flow of thought so as to look at the bigger picture more easily. I can’t help but think of all the personal applications there are of that, to every day life.
Level 2 - How often do you find yourself thinking about all the things that need to be done, making sure that all the crucial angles of your daily life have been thought through well enough to achieve a certain goal? I know that not every one does this, but how many of us actually live simple lives where the outcome of various events isn’t fully considered? I only know of a few people out of the millions. Those are either really wealthy, the elderly or those that live in small villages. And even there I can find them calculating things every day, in varying degrees.
What I see here are all kinds of people calculating and analyzing each step that they take, whether with good or bad intent, in hopes that they will have made the right decision. Others are thinking the same thing of course. What this creates is a dynamic similar to that found in chess.
The application doesn’t need to be limited to extreme cases either. It can be as obvious as a criminal trying to outwit a pursuing police officer, or as simple as a relationship where one party decides to hold their tongue because they prefer to make a safe move and maintain peace. Both are well thought out and strongly consider the outcome of various moves that they could make.
Level 3 - So now that we seem to be digging a tunnel with this thought of looking at angles, lets consider a single example of how this might play out on the personal level for one type of person with one specific characteristic, just as a chess piece is looked at with regard to its specific characteristic. Please know that I recognize how dynamic this subject is, since every person is different. Yet I can’t help but recognize characteristics that I have seen before in people that somehow dictate inevitable responses in one way or another.
Look at the characteristic of a person that loves to give. Let’s call this a defining characteristic as the knight has the defining characteristic of only moving in an L shape. In a book I read once called the 5 love languages, this characteristic of “acts of service” was shown to dominate a person’s life and happiness in varying degrees.
Level – 4 So one characteristic of this person is that they love to give. Have you ever noticed that a person that loves to give can have the odd characteristic of being selfish? You say, “but how can a giver be selfish if they are always giving?” Interestingly enough, I find that those that love to give, can have a tendency of expecting a lot in return. Have you ever met someone that loved to give and was utterly content with getting nothing in return?
Of course, there are multiple degrees of a giver. One extreme may be a person that always looks out for everyone else’s concerns yet find themselves weighed down, somehow reveling in that fact they care for so much are make so many sacrifices. Then there are those that don’t really revel in it but feel obligated to be a giver, possibly stemming from past family issues. Then there are those that don’t really feel obligated per say, but are still inclined to focus on the “negative”, weighing them down if they aren’t careful. Then there are those that try not to think negatively yet really do give too much without sufficient appreciation in return. All of these are varying degrees of a giver often based on their personal experience and growth in life.
Level – 5 The value of this knowledge is similar to a chess player that understands his own strengths and limitations as well as that of others that they find themselves working with or against. The benefits of knowing your strengths and limitations as well as those around you then prove to be invaluable. It helps avoid unneeded mistakes and more easily opens the door to wiser long term moves.

Comparison

In chess people can easily be influenced by their competitors. If they are playing against a new player they may lower their skill level. This may be because they are just trying to be nice so as not to slaughter their opponent, or it could be something they do and not realize it. Both can be seen in circumstances in life, but the latter seems especially deceptive.
Sometimes we don't achieve our true potentially because of the fact that we are too easily effected by the people that are around us. We see what we want to be, but because those around us are not at that level we don't fully stretch out our wings and play how we know we should be playing. Playing easy is nice and helps those around us only for a little while. If we truly want to be better and want those around us to be better we need to spread our wings and show this world what we have to offer.