Games People Play
I wonder if it's possible that the games that we learned as children were really just preparation for the lives we would lead as adults...
Is it possible that games such as Mother May I?, Simon Says, Chess, Perfection, and Operation were just designed to teach us the rules of interaction within society as we grow up? That the rules we learned as children actually apply in our real-life daily activities as "mature" adults?
We learn to check our actions against what is acceptable by whomever we've deemed as "in charge" and not make a move without the appropriate approval. We do as we're told, but only when the phrasing is correct; otherwise we are "fooled" and lose. We learn strategies and manipulation and to anticipate our opponents next move, and the next move, and when we're really good, the move after that before the other person has even thought about what move they want to make. We rush around, trying to put every little piece of our lives in the right location, hoping to accomplish perfection before the timer goes off and everything blows up in our face, forcing us to start over from scratch, again. And we dig into one another, slowly, carefully, trying to extract whatever it is that is hidden deep within, all the while knowing that should we touch the wrong nerve, the relationship buzzer will sound and we will lose our chance.
And of course, we learn that it's about winning. Or at least beating the other person. Because that's what life is all about, right? Being better than the next guy...?
Is it possible that games such as Mother May I?, Simon Says, Chess, Perfection, and Operation were just designed to teach us the rules of interaction within society as we grow up? That the rules we learned as children actually apply in our real-life daily activities as "mature" adults?
We learn to check our actions against what is acceptable by whomever we've deemed as "in charge" and not make a move without the appropriate approval. We do as we're told, but only when the phrasing is correct; otherwise we are "fooled" and lose. We learn strategies and manipulation and to anticipate our opponents next move, and the next move, and when we're really good, the move after that before the other person has even thought about what move they want to make. We rush around, trying to put every little piece of our lives in the right location, hoping to accomplish perfection before the timer goes off and everything blows up in our face, forcing us to start over from scratch, again. And we dig into one another, slowly, carefully, trying to extract whatever it is that is hidden deep within, all the while knowing that should we touch the wrong nerve, the relationship buzzer will sound and we will lose our chance.
And of course, we learn that it's about winning. Or at least beating the other person. Because that's what life is all about, right? Being better than the next guy...?