My mind is filled with hopes and dreams,
Since a child I dreamed of doing impossible things,
Even today I dream big it seems,
Only now I feel more like a pawn than a king.
I'd love to sing, make it big on some pyramid scheme,
Travel the world and work as an Ambassador or something,
But all these scenes are nothing more than dreams,
And my dreams, it seems, are drifting away like golden rings.
As these rings drift away they laugh and sing,
"Did you really think you could be a king? Your a fool living in a fantasy,
You weren't borne into money or an amazing genealogy,
Did you really think you'd reach us through such an odyssey?"
Odyssey? Fuck you and your odyssey.
I will make it eventually. I will fight relentlessly.
I will pursue my dreams endlessly.
Because dreams are all there is inside of me.
Okay I must wake up now and face reality,
I must trudge through hard times indefinitely,
I will make it through eventually,
At least for now I can take pleasure in the green grass in front of me.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Cultural flexability and chess
People compare well to chess & chess games.
This morning I was trying to get a handle on how I struggled lately with blending well with a sertain subculture within the US. (intellectual youth that have well off parents) Most of the time I find I can blend easily into other cultures. But when I found it difficult I was forced to ask myself why. Partly I think its because I am not much of a follower just for the sake of following.This wasn't always the case with me. I used to mold myself into cultures. That's why I found such comfort in places like Southern Venezuela & Guyana whereas others did not. But now that I am more confident in who I am I've lost a bit of that sponge-like ability. Its not a bad thing of course. But my degree is in International Business. So my new challenge has been in trying to get to the top of Maslovs hairarchy of needs (self awareness) while maintaining a sense of comfort in different cultures.
The challenge of course is understanding the rules/dynamics of the culture. But I think it also goes beyond that.
Most people that blend easily into different cultures aren't very opinionated. Thats why I was able to blend so well before. But now that I have gained strong characteristics I now have to find a balance. How do I blend well and still feel self aware/confident so as to maintain my identity? I personally think that its by being unassuming.
Being unassuming is a main ingredient to me because it gives me the freedom to voice my ideas and feel free to be myself while not coming into conflict with another person or cultural ideas.Now the tricky part. How does this relate to chess? Each piece has its peculiar characteristics and movements, its true. But in any given game just because someone moves a piece in one direction doesn't mean that's their ultimate move. Being unassuming allows us to maintain flexibility and adaptability without losing sight of our specific characteristics and goals.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
How two people from 2 different backgrounds can still be the same piece
I am writing this for the sake of showing how two completely different people from two different backgrounds can still be classified under the same piece. (Collectivistic & Individualistic). This builds on previous topics that I have written
A recap on basic characteristics of a given piece:
Pawn = simple, limited, hard working.
Rook= logical, straight forward and broad movement like a cannon
Bishop = Very calculated and targeted, focused much like a sniper
Knight = L-shaped, creative, has the mind of an explorer
Queen = multi-tasker, typically has strong presence in their environment, like a general or CEO
King = Delegator (president), the game hinges on this one individual
Ok that's the basic concept. From this point on I want to provide practical examples that would help make any given piece more dynamic with more individual applications. Please don't get distracted by the small sub points. I only write them to show how far reaching a piece can be in one direction, by no means limiting it to such small points.
Point 1 - There are two mindsets to compare for now; individualistic & collectivistic. I will be using the broad definitions of the words. As an example, the first will be those who often live alone or live a rogue type life. I have met hundreds of you now. You are the lone guitar player I gave a ride to once that planned on doing some night gigs in Portland to make it by. You are the kids I know that ran away from home. You are the one I met traveling alone through remote regions of Venezuela or various parts of Ireland & Holland. You live mostly alone in your apartment or townhouse.
Sub A - Yet as much as you live alone I know there are times when you have felt the need for company. This feeling somehow comes out of some demand from within you. So you think of others to call, mostly family or close friends, just to see how they are doing. The paradox comes when you don’t always relate to them as before. Yet you do so out of a desire to feel like you did when you were a kid when you had that sense of belonging.
Sub B - Some of you may never have had that. Others try and tell themselves that they’ve never had it, somehow wanting vindication for pain they once felt as a child. Whatever the case may be, the point is that you find yourself responding to life's circumstances in a direct and open way, much like a rook would do in chess. This character that you are looking at is the first mindset, i.e. individualistic in nature.
Point 2 - Ok now to the opposite perspective; the person that always seems surrounded by a ton of people all your life. I’ve met you in lots of places throughout South America, Europe and parts of Africa. I’ve also met you a lot here in the US. To be surrounded by people is just part of life, its normal, it’s expected.
Sub A - Truthfully, I admire these cultures. But life isn’t always perfect. Many of you know what it feels like to have gone hungry. Many may find themselves surrounded by drama and wish to be alone sometimes, or feel alone in a crowded room for one reason or another. Whatever the circumstance might be, the point is that you find yourself responding to life's circumstances in a direct and open way, much like a rook would do in chess.
Transition - When you consider two different people from two different backgrounds they can still have a lot in common. Both the individualistic and collectivistic mindsets can still be classified under one piece. Both can come from completely different backgrounds yet share many things in common.
Concluding thought - Looking at an average game you may notice that the rook (for example) is constantly being moved the entire game. Then in another game you’ll notice that it stays most of the game in one place as a defender, watching everyone around them. Regardless of what mindset they come, be it a lone traveler or surrounded by people, they still have the same common characteristics of thinking in straight, open lines, differentiating themselves from a knight or bishop in their approach. So also, both the individualistic and collectivistic person, though different, still can hold the same common characteristic of approaching things in a direct and open way as a rook would.
This is just an example that I am working on and has yet to fully be expanded. My hope is that you can see where I am going with it and see its wide applications. Can you come up with other seemingly polar opposites that can now be used as a framework for variations within a given piece?
Thanks,
Josh
Sunday, June 28, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, June 8, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
