Ernest Shakleton’s view of life as a game:
“Some people say it is wrong to regard life as a game; I don’t think so. Life to me means the greatest of games. The danger lies in treating it like a trivial game, a game to be taken lightly, and a game where rules don’t matter much. The rules matter a great deal. The game has to played fairly, or it is no game at all. And even to win the game is not the chief end. The chief end is to win it honorable and splendidly. To this chief end several things are necessary. Loyalty is one. Discipline is another. Unselfishness is another. Courage is another. Optimism is another. And Chivalry is another.”
Choose a team:
The first step to a game is choosing a team. Consider the following players and decide which team to play with:
Left: Right:
Born to a family with a history Born to a solid family
Male Female
A paperboy A paper girl
Religious Humanist
Teacher’s Pet Class Clown
Boyfriend Girlfriend
Excess Moderation
Highly educated Went to work
Smoker Non-smoker
Jailed Free
Married Single
Disabled Healthy
Rich Poor
Poor Rich
Employed Unemployed
Found a Community Switched organizations
Abandoned family Beautiful family
No Choice Pro Choice
Foe Friend
Friend Foe
Husband Wife
Sister Brother
Teacher Student
Student Teacher
Mom Dad
Son Daughter
Dad Mom
Before starting a game it’s important to know the team. Look at the lists. Take time to see familiar faces. Do they look familiar? The game is about to begin. What team will you choose? Trick question: both lists make one team for a game.
Take a look because we are all on some team, and who doesn't want to play? To play a game take time to read. Time is the measure of how to choose things. So if you’re reading, you’re committed to decide. If you don’t have time, you’re deciding whether to go on. Either way you must decide. It’s your time.
You may be looking at the lists and thinking. Where and who are these team mates? Or maybe you are thinking about other people. People you know, maybe family or friends, or maybe someone you have read or heard about. It’s a tough decision whether to take the time to go on. But again, we all need to be able to play well together and who doesn't like playing a game every now and again? Time’s up. Did you decide?
Here is a thought. We’re on both teams. We are both teams. But so are many more team mates. All people are on both teams. So to truly play a fair and honorable game maybe decide to play both sides, the left and the right.
If there’s balance between the two teams, playing ball is a possibility!
Suit-up:
It’s time to dawn a uniform so that the team can be balanced. Whether playing by yourself, or playing with others, a team uniform is needed. The colors brought to the game are the colors shown when playing. Balanced colors usually lead to balanced play. A hard game with lots of unseen hits can get very blue. But in time true colors come back and the game continues.
Sometimes it takes awhile to get colors to shine again. Sometimes deep blues are in the game for a long time, especially when the rainbow of team mate colors are forgotten.
It takes practice to show and see true colors. And it takes practice to play with different team mates with differences. Like playing basketball, the ball that makes playing fun can’t pass back and forth alone, it needs help.
Most team mates and games aren't black or white. True colors make a well balanced team and make for a fun game.
Kick off:
How does a fun, colorful game start? It helps to see strengths rather than weaknesses. This helps keep the ball in play, balanced, and in the air. During the game, the ball can’t always be in the air, sometimes players must dribble. Before dribble comes tip off.
Core values, honesty, fairness, teamwork, and trust help get the game started - but where to play? A home field is needed, also known as common ground. This is a place to connect with teammates and play a fun game.
Every team needs a goal. Focusing on strengths and practicing them over and over again makes a team ready for achieving goals. Without a focus on strengths, the game can get really blue and wasteful of energy. The team would never reach a goal.
To play well in the game, teams focus on strengths, and agree on core values. A team places value on honest and fair play - it's at their core. Teammates who balance honesty and fairness trust teammates to keep the ball in play, even if the ball gets lost, teammates take the ball after asking, and teammates run with the ball when asked. If passing, trust teammates to catch the ball; if receiving, trust teammates to throw the ball. And for a kick, hold the ball very carefully. Then a fun game may begin.
Play Catch:
The ball is kicked, a ball is caught. The teammates support the ball. Because if a ball is lost that means the team is out of balance, the core values are lost, and the game stops. And if the team is unbalanced, the ball is lost, points and goals are hard to attain.
How can all the balls stay in play? Play catch!
Playing catch starts with two and can multiply at any time. The point of catch is sharing core values on common ground. Keep all the balls in the air through honest and fair play and points are attainable. Attaining points makes for a fun game and achieves goals.
Keeping the balls in the air keeps the game going strong. Playing catch is accepting differences and building on strengths. A left team mate may have strengths. A right team mate may have strengths. The game of catch is getting the ball securely to team mates and hopefully attaining goals.
To play catch, it helps to understand teammates. So that may mean seeing and accept all uniform colors and team mate differences. Adjust the point of the ball, so team mates with differences can catch. Adjust the point, so pinks can catch: adjust the point so reds can catch and so on and so forth . Adjust the point so all the different team mates succeed on common ground and work towards attaining mutually enjoyable goals.
Catch is a two way street. Playing catch is giving and receiving. The same rules apply when giving and taking. Look closely at the colors and differences. They all share common ground, and catch and support each other.
To catch points, it’s important to keep the ball’s color and different team mates values in mind when giving and receiving a point. If not, the point could be lost and fall, making the joy of goal attainment challenging. Who dropped the ball?!?
This question can end a perfectly fun and enjoyable game of catch. Since teammates are responsible for keeping the ball in the air, blame only squelches a fun game. If you threw the ball and felt responsible, picking it up, apologizing, and getting back to the game may help. If you caught the ball and felt responsible, picking it up, apologizing, and getting back to the game may help.
Remember the home field of common ground? How do you get the game back on after a dropped ball or point? Asking a good question that leads back to common ground may help.
Catch can get old after awhile. One way to keep the ball in the air is to get more players. When playing catch with a variety of different team mates, there is a beautiful group of throws and catches. This can make the game of catch, or any game, more interesting and fun! It also expands the field of common ground.
Sometimes it’s a challenge to understand the different points being thrown and caught, when so many team mates have different points of view about where the point is coming from and should be going to. Understanding is critical when playing with many.
Another challenge is adding more balls and points to the game. It takes paying attention when several points are being shared. Balls and points may be missed or thrown off balance. Remember: there is common ground and core values –that’s a key point - pick up the ball, understand, and ask a good question. That way team mates feel support and not dropped.
A Football Huddle or A Rugby Scrum to the same goal?
Points are fun in a game and so are goals. Teams want goals and often cheer for them. There’s a need to support and understand strengths to reach a goal. Is it a football huddle, or a rugby scrum?
In a football huddle, there’s one in charge with a set play. To execute a play, teams must push to the goal. This can hurt and cause injury. Pads and helmets are needed.
In a rugby scrum, every player is put into a position of strength. The team is carefully aligned toward the goal and pushes together. Sometimes the team gets pushed back but the game flows forward. If a ball gets dropped, the team must get back to the ball, get back in balance and support each member of the team towards reaching the goal. The team builds a supportive bridge to the goal without one individual running forward without support. Glory of the goal is shared support in rugby not individual attainment.
Turns are taken but leading, following, and supporting is the goal in rugby. There isn’t a set time for reaching the goal. Sometimes a goal can never be reached. But flowing together as a team based on strengths and keeping the ball in play is the goal.
What happens when a goal is reached? Get together, support each other, and play again!
Swing Away – Wrestling Alone:
Sometimes it’s good to play alone - hitting a ball, scoring a point, reaching a goal, and on to the next goal.
The alone game still shares common ground. If a ball is in play, the individual is responsible for getting the point. Can the point be lost? No, it finds a way home.
Remember to bring the point full circle. A ball lying around is pointless. Remember the home team. Sometimes balls and points get lost and fine themselves in the shallow waters or high rough. The key is that points don’t get lost there.
Keeping the ball in the air, staying balanced, and remembering core values. Swinging away and alone can be just as enjoyable as a big game of catch. It can expand common ground too.
Sometimes team mates find themselves alone with team mates no where in sight wondering about how to keep playing? An alone team mates uniform colors may have gone to a deep blue. But remember there is common ground.
Team mates toss a supportive rainbow of colors. Playing catch and taking them in often brings a warm array of colorful feelings. Trust your team mates no matter how much they may wrestle with deep blues. Team mates often help bring on a new rainbow of colors, get team mates to a new point, a new goal and play goes on.
Binding:
Teams need glue to bind together. A glue that holds together for the duration of any game. Love is the answer. Hate hurts. Love heals. Look for love in the eyes of your teammates. It is there and they want you to receive it. Understand your teammates and catch it. Then turn left or right and pass it on.
Teammates are counting on you, and know you’re counting on them. Balance your core values with the glue of love and your ball will be in the air until the game is over.
Equipment:
You have the tools needed to play a fair game. The team needs you. You have strengths. As a team, we are webbed together on a common ground, with core values, making points, and reaching goals. All ages are watching and learning. Balls will be dropped but understanding teammates will support.
“Men must build bridges”
- Brennen July 25, 2004
“Yayh!!!”
- Kevin clapping at seeing a Sebastian Ollie, July 25, 2004
First Draft - July 26, 2004
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