Sunday, December 28, 2008

Get Your Head in the Game

Are you familiar with Monopoly? If you're not, well, it is a board game wherein the players will be given money and they can use it to buy properties, build houses and upgrade it as the game goes on. The player with the most money and properties wins.

This holiday season my family got a chance to enjoy this game and play instead of doing nothing. My dad, my mom, my younger brother and I competes with each other and it is usually my mom who wins the game.

While we were playing we had some reflections about life that I would like to share...

At times when I had the most property, I didn't care about how many steps would I get from the dice anymore. I didn't have to worry because I owned everything. I can land anywhere and not care because everything's mine. At the beginning it was really exciting because other players pay me and I just kept on collecting money but after a while the game became boring.

There was also a time when I had the most money but unfortunately I couldn't land on properties. It is either I land on chances or end up on a property that I already owned. Even if I had the most money it seemed like it was useless because I couldn't use it.

Isn't it that life is also like that? You would end up not caring about your life when you have no problem. If God will make it perfect, with no flaws, it would become boring. If you can have everything, then living your life will become nonsense, absurd, foolish and crazy. It would become a life living with no life.

What about having all the wealth? Money can't buy everything. It can't buy happiness, love and peace. We can't even use it once we die. I am not a hypocrite. I am not saying I don't need it but I believe being the wealthiest person on earth can't make me problem free, secured, happy 24/7 nor I can buy peace and salvation for everybody.

And wait...there's one more thing..we also tried playing the game with equal share of properties..no biddings and no negotiation. It means that we had tried to maintain that every player would be equal. And we thought..well it is nonsense! It felt like we were not playing. So we conclude that if God had made everybody the same and equal, life would not be exciting to live. We couldn't see improvements and, still, it would be living a life with no life.

7 comments:

Tamela's Place said...

Very good point!

Jailer said...

Reminds me of my favorite hymn:

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride

Forbid it Lord that I should boast
Save in the death of Christ my God
All the vain things that charm me most
I sacrifice them to His blood

See from His head, His hands, His feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did e're such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown

Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were a present far too small
Love so amazing so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all

Blessings to you. By the way, I'm not Filipino, but I and my Fil-Am family go to a Fil-Am church in Virginia. :)

Jailer

Lori Laws said...

What insight you all had!...over a game of Monopoly! That was an awesome conclusion. Life would certainly be a bit boring without things (good and bad), to make us grow and mature. Yeah, all the money in the world is not going to bring true happiness. Great post!

Anonymous said...

Wow this is a way in which I have never played Monopoly before. What you have written really makes me stop and think. I loved it and your words were oh so true. We think money will make everything all right, yet things end up worse. We lose friends, family, peace, joy, happiness and love. Life would be boring if everyone were the same. Great writing Paige! I loved it! I pray your family had (and it sounds like you did) a very Merry Christmas! I love you and keep writing for the Lord my dear daughter! Your faith has grown so much! I am so proud of you! You go Paige!

Love you and blessings!

Anonymous said...

I really hate it when I have to go to prison. Or when I have to pay fines. Those rules are made just to annoy me. In my family we used to play with the possibility of taking up loans in "the bank", because we thought it was so unfair if one got bankrupt. But in this way the game never ends. :-)

By the way I have been thinking about a New years poem. But with no luck. There is not much to write about regarding the New year. :-) Faith and hope, maybe, but faith and hope is not reserved for this day of the year. So I think I'll give it up.

Anonymous said...

I am so sorry I missed your birthday Paige. HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY TO YOU MY SWEET AND DEAR FRIEND! GOD BLESS YOU!

Unknown said...

Loved the post in fact I would like to use it on my own blog and feature your article as a featured quest post next week if that is okay with you?

It would serve us all well if we learned the lessons you learned from playing monopoly and applied them to life. But of course the game is called monopoly for a reason.