Some people think that life is a gamble.
I did.
The recent outbreak of gambling from Chinese new year has changed my perspective.
So, when one thinks of Chinese New Year (CNY), what comes to mind?
Oranges?
"Rad Packets"?
Pineapple Tarts?
Most likely, in the course of the 3 day holiday, one would have played at least a round of "tai ti", poker, or blackjack. Most likely we would have indulged in some form of gambling. And that was exactly what me and my cousins did yesterday, at our grandmother's house.
We planned to play really small.
But somebody was planning to win it big.
The dealer, my 15 year old cousin, had originally come with no money at all. Seeing that we were having fun with cards, he decided that he would borrow money from us and use it to earn more.
What a gambling addict's mindset. He volunteered himself as the dealer, so that he would be able to earn much more money at a time and repay us as quickly as possible.
So we ended up with 8 people at the "table", and 1 deck of cards. We started with Blackjack, with my 18 year old cousin as the dealer, and played a few rounds before i decided that the game was boring. In this round, i lost a small bit of money, but the dealer lost even more. Mr Dealer was in debt now.
Next, we played "3 card" and i managed to recoup all of my losses from the poor dealer, who lost even more than before. "3 card" was my friend, as it did not require any skill at all. The dealer seemed to only get either really big numbers or really low numbers. So he either won it all or lost it all. But the latter happened more frequently.
Finally, we began with poker. And if "3 card" was my best friend, Poker was my Best friend. We For the sake of my 15 year old cousin, we started small with 10 cents entry bet and a maximum cap of $1. (I admit our bets were really small, but what do you expect with an age group of 11-18?) By this time, my poor cousin was begging for money to use to enter the game and to recoup all of his losses to return his debts. He already had already owed us a total of $15 by then. (Me, being the kind soul decided to the kind act of lending the money):) But in this game of poker, he lost even more than before, desperately trying to "follow" every card and win. He did win 1 or 2 rounds, but it did him no good in recouping his losses.
Finally, when the gambling fever reached its climax, we decided to play $5 poker, with a maximum cap of $10. Everybody literally tossed in their money and grabbed their hands of cards, vying for the ultimate prize of $40 - $80
But my dear cousin, wanting to use this money and recoup all of his losses, grabbed his chance and put his final $10 into the pit. Hands were taken, cards were placed and the game ended as soon as it started. And the winner of the entire $68 was my brother. And my cousin was in deep debt.
So the poor guy now owes me a huge sum of money and I will make sure he returns it back to me the next time he meets. But what I am really trying to say is that one should know his limits when gambling. I feel that the "i will win it all back" attitude that he showed yesterday was really a gambling addict's mindset. Also, he should never have started playing yesterday if he had no money to begin with. How he borrowed money from me yesterday parallels exactly how a gambler takes loans from a loanshark.
So linking back to my topic sentence, Life is a gamble. But then again does it mean that when we limit our bets that we put limiters to our lives? Sure gambling is about luck, but controlling our money when we gamble is a skill. Its all about whether you want to place the bet or not. But then again, always think of the consequences when you put that bet on the table of life.
What do you think? Is life symbolized by a game of cards and dice?
Signing off,
LMX
Sadly to say, life is indeed partially symbolized by luck sometimes. Though life is made meaningful by self-initiative and potential, some aren't lucky to be given the opportunities unlike us.
ReplyDeleteTake for example, African children. They certainly want to grow up and fulfull their ambitions, but life doesn't allow them to do so. I don't mean any offense, but it can be said that luck had put them in such a miserable situation. Sometimes luck just doesn't give you opportunities.
So anyway, on a lighter note, do be merciful on this cousin of yours. (: After all, you do want him to have a happy CNY right. I would suggest alcohol gambling in minute amounts, where losers drink a mouthful of Carlsberg.
ryan.
Dear Ming Xia,
ReplyDeleteI agree that life is not symbolised by gambling or other materialistic items.
Life is about happiness. The happier you are, the better your life is. Material items can only bring us short-term happiness, but being contented with living a simple life is the key to long-term happiness.
Needs can be satisfied but greed cannot. It is a continuous want for more. Let me share with you a short fable.
There was once a man who was offered all the land he could walk on in a day, on the condition that he reached his starting point by sundown. The farmer set off early in the morning in order to get as much wealth as he could. He did not want to miss this once in a lifetime opportunity ti expand his wealth. Nearing evening, the farmer realised that he had to get back to his starting point in order to obtainthe land. His greedhad gotten him too far. He ran all the way back, exerting himself beyond his limit. Upon reaching his starting point, he was so exhausted that he collapsed and died. He managed to reach before sundown and obtained the lland, but he was burried and all the land he needed was a small plot.
In this fable, we can easily see how greed can affect us, how far greed can push us. The key to stay out of the trap of greed is to live within your means and stay contented. A satisfied person is the happiest person.
Now, lets discuss about your cousin. One important thing to remember before getting something is to aask yourself whether you need it, if you can afford it, and what happiness does it bring you. As for your cousin, gambling was never a need because he already had a sum of money to begin with.
In conclusion, I feel that your blog post was very insightful and thought-provoking. However, you may want to cut short the process or the game, or summarise it as it is a little complicated. Thank you.
Regards,
Tay Jia Shin