The Game (Of Life)

So I’ve not long watched the final Saw movie.  Last  night, I watched Black Swan and tonight, Comic Relief is on.

3 very different ways of portraying pain, suffering, misery and the bleak picture that is life as a whole.

So what IS the best way to have someone appreciate life?  To appreciate what they have and cherish it?  Is it a series of tasks/obstacles that literally risk life or limb to have you DESIRE to live?  Or is it watching the pain and suffering of others on the news, the web, documentaries and various other mediums to trigger that thought provoking splinter in the mind?

I suppose it varies from person to person.  Just like education in general, some people get it with very little information.  Others need to have greater support to learn the exact same thing.

How important is it that we actually value our lives?  Is it the case that if we don’t value our lives it subsequently means we won’t have a great life?  Just like a marathon runner if they don’t exert themselves they will never do well.

I have a mixed idea over this.  I do believe that if you go through life not appreciating what you have you will have a mediocre, uneventful life because you don’t “push the envelope”.  However, I don’t believe that this is a rule that stands true in every case – some people amble, shuffle, fumble or stagger through life and do well and lead fruitful lives.

So, in light of that, I guess you have to be very open minded but also live your life the way you see best, but also being open minded enough to realise that your way of life isn’t necessarily always the best way and that you need to adopt various viewpoints, ideas and visions others have.

The flip side to this optimistic and idealistic view is the one BIG question.  Is the game of life worthwhile picking up and playing?  Or should we stick it in, see how it goes and quit if it doesn’t seem to live up to the hype?  Or just never put the disc in in the first place and choose a fate similar to the alternative ending of Butterfly Effect and allow the cord of life wrap itself around our tiny, bearly formed neck and take the life it provides us away from us?

I must admit, for years I was tormented by thoughts of death, self harm and the idea that death is the grand prize on this game we play.  Isn’t it better to claim a prize early than wait?  Those thoughts eventually left my mind but they repeat from time to time. I’m sure we all wonder about dying and what things would be like in our wake – if we even make an impact at all.  Like a vague sense of de ja vu like at the end of Donnie Darko.

For myself, the one thing that keeps me going is the propensity for things happening.  Life changes and just because it seems shit at times, there’s nothing to say it won’t change at some point after.  For everyone, there will be a diverse range of reasons not go do it as well as a list of reasons to do it.  The pros and cons are dictated by one’s mindset and outside influences (or perceived outside influences).

I guess the bottom line is, no matter how bad things are, they could be worse.  But also, if you make a rash decision, you can’t do anything afterwards.  Things get broke; they can be fixed.  Things disappear; they can be found.  But that’s all well and good but the biggest thing to bear in mind is the extreme possibility of judgment and decision making processes being wrong – we’re human.  We err.

So, in a nut shell: Just live.  Play the game.  All games end – results may vary.