LOCKDOWN — The Game of Life and How to Play It- the Sages Wisdom
Have you ever asked; why are we here on this planet? What are the rules of the game of life? How can it be played successfully?
I woke up and started pacing across my room, wondering why we are locked up in our homes when we could be enjoying the many entertainment outlets in our cities on this glorious sunny day. My thoughts raced through my mind uncontrollably, as though being chased by a horrible creature.
Humanity’s troubles abound, dawn to dusk, and lockdown is the last thing we need to add to our plates. As my mind continued to race, I had to ask again; what is this lockdown all about and how will it help us going forward?
For the best part of our lives, we do not know what the future holds. No one could have predicted our holidays would be shaped in the quietude of our homes, observing social distancing even from our loved ones — friends, relatives, co-workers, and neighbors. What happened to all our future plans that we worked tirelessly to create and implement to reach the pinnacles of our careers and business goals? What happened to all the visions for our future economic, physical, and financial successes? I cannot help but wonder why the well-paid economists, bank strategists, and planners of multi-million-dollar corporations across the globe did not see this coming. And what is even more interesting is that there are segments of the global population who deny the existence of a power beyond our five senses.
In stillness and humility, I surrendered and concluded that all our plans are nothing more than playing the game of life, akin to buying lottery tickets in the hope of winning the jackpot. We engage in all sorts of planning in the hope that by some chance we will win and become happy, peaceful, joyful, healthy, and wealthy. Our faith in the plans we worked hard to get nature to accept, has been rejected. Nature has brought it home to us that the rules we are to live by are yet to be mastered. Our “jackpot mentality” just won’t work. We have received our performance report card, and of course, we are to repeat the class again.
How could we not have known this earlier, with all our education systems? After all, we have created all sorts of technologies in the past decades. What did we miss this time? Perhaps we were so busy with our plans that we forgot to get them approved by the invisible power that governs this system we call nature. We were so busy, we forgot who is the Captain of our universe, and of course, within a twinkle of an eye our sophisticated plans with all their merits based on logic and intellect were thrashed and turned into dust, with a new order to start all over again.
I do not know if you have noticed — all the plans for our cultural festive events ended up in various online communication platforms, with only essential services open for business. To restrict the spread of COVID-19, even the royal household and ministerial departments have been relegated to the confines of social distancing, with some members hospitalised.
So, what is the game of life and how do we play it successfully? I screamed out for nature to respond… Clearly humanity needs the script to master it, and we need special teachers to teach us how to live by the script. We need teachers to come to the forefront and take up their roles, as the planet needs a new modus operandi going forward. Where are the wise teachers that our sages told us about? Would humanity be willing to listen and learn the game of life and how to play it? Would humanity be content to grope in the dark until nature delivers more blows to awaken us into enlightenment?
Our physical eyes were given for sight, yet we can see nothing beyond our five senses. Our ears were given to hear, yet we can hear only the sounds limited to our five senses. The nose was given to smell, yet we cannot smell the splendor of aromas infused in the air we breathe on a daily basis to sustain our lives. The palate was given to taste, yet we need physical food to experience the luxurious food of life well beyond our limited senses. Clearly, help is needed to bring us into alignment with nature. We can no longer be locked up if we do not know what we could have done to prevent the current situation. We can no longer be kept in the dark, wondering how to play the game of life, if we do not know the rules. What does it take to access the rules of the game and master them? Who are the Moseses of our day that our sages told us will be amongst us to save us from damnation?
Whilst all these thoughts continue to race through my mind, concluding that we cannot do business as usual when all this is over, I walked out for some fresh air in my garden. At last, the penny dropped. I spotted a black cat, majestically walking on the fence, oblivious of the lockdown. I have never thought about the animal kingdom in the lockdown mode. I turned around and could not help but notice squirrels playing leisurely. Something struck me. We are all creatures in this universe — the birds, squirrels, dogs, cats, fish, and all the other animals that exist in this kingdom are not locked up. They are free to roam around with no restrictions. I’ve got it — they understand the rules and have been playing the game of life correctly. We, humans, are the ones that need to learn these rules; hence we are locked up. Our desires for happiness, wealth, and health can never be attained if we refuse to learn the rules of the game, and play them correctly.
We must now observe nature in this lockdown mode and realise that the animals around us can teach us something about how to play the game. The rules of the game of life are simple, one only has to observe nature to learn them. To grasp them, one only needs to be cautious, conscious, still, and intentional. Nature has always been waiting patiently for us to learn the rules, but we were too busy making plans to win the jackpot of happiness, wealth, and fame. We were so busy, our senses have become deadened to the power of nature. Now we must listen and learn fast to save ourselves from disaster.
There is no favoritism here. Whether you are rich or poor, male or female, old or young, black or white, the rules apply to everyone. Nature’s laws are for all and nature is indiscriminate. Nature is a collective force for good. The sun shines on all of us and the rain gives its water to everyone. And with this you have learned the first rule — we must operate our lives in an integral manner. What is good for me should be good for others. Thinking favorably of others matters to nature. Clearly, we demonstrated we need to learn this when many of us rushed to supermarkets hoarding food and necessities for ourselves, not thinking of the elderly, the disabled, and the marginalised of our society. Nature wants us to think and act smart. We must learn to play the game of life correctly if we want to win.
Nature is for all and has no judgment. Everyone and everything is perfect in nature’s perception. There are no poor or ill creatures — all are perfect. Hence everyone is respected and expected by nature to act as a perfect being. Yes, you read correctly — even you are expected to act as a perfect human being. Perfection means wholeness, and with that, love is primacy in the game of life. One who is perfect lacks nothing; as a result, they are ready to give to others freely, just as nature gives unreservedly to everyone. The quality of nature is therefore critical in this game. We cannot win in the game if we are self-centered. Everyone is important to nature. This is the second rule in the game of life that we must learn very quickly.
Our selfishness hurts the planet so badly we have to be consigned to our rooms to save us from the adverse consequences. Love is our salvation. The trouble for humanity is the complacency of imperfection. Humanity has developed a rule to accept imperfection as the norm; to live for self and not for others, whereas nature will not tolerate it. Humanity wants to devour everything for self-gratification, but nature will not permit such a pathetic attitude. We are now in lockdown to learn the game of life and master the rules. We must learn fast or time will see us being forced into a deeper problem than COVID-19.
The game of life can be summarised in one simple maxim — LOVE others just like you love yourself. Nature is love and kindness to all. Nature expects you and I to operate in the perfection of love. Nature expects us to screen our egos when making decisions that affect others. Thinking of the happiness of others whilst planning for our own is the business of nature. Love is the ultimate game of life that we must master. When we do so, we will live a happy life and see the end of conflicts and ill-health.
To conclude, put LOVE first and we will soon be free to come out to play the game of life freely in oneness with nature.
Written by
Dr. Shelah Harris Ph.D
