Black knight takes white Rook, White Queen takes black knight, Check Mate. Game over. If you have ever played the game of chess, it is quite interesting. A finality exists but the gamble of whose finality it is, is always up in the air till the end. There are innumerable permutations and  combinations that can play out in terms of chess moves that makes the game not only enticing to play yet very intricate. I always believed that the game you play is not yours but in fact that of the opponents, kind of like the game of poker, you play your opponents’ hand.  Thinking several moves ahead and in every  direction, the game is very much like life.

Trying to guess correctly at the next move that either you or your opponent will or will not make is risky, yet that is what we do everyday when we deal with anyone we interact with on a regular basis. We spin our wheels of our minds to the point of exhaustion and wearing down our mental tread with strategic planning. Yet sometimes I wonder who exactly is the opponent that I am facing in this chess game, if everyone is playing the same game? My answer is myself. I am in continuous play with myself and we each are outdoing the other to the detriment of the other and Ourselves. I find myself fighting with myself whether it is through decisions regarding work, home, or personal. If both sides cooperated there would be less of an effort of strategic warring and more productive construction. Yet one might say that they do not have this issue. In which case I applaud them for looking so deep within and clearing up all fears and troubles and making peace between their ego and their soul in such a way that is the goal of us all. If both sides joined hands and worked together, then perhaps there is no chess game? Well I think then the opponent will not be oneSelf yet other life challenges which can then be easily overcome, when You and your ego are in harmony.

Sometimes a state of Stalemate occurs, a draw if you will where neither side wins. That is the start of something good. Both sides strong enough to hold their ground, and both sides weak enough to humbly concede and agree for mutual cooperation. More the stalemate, more the chance at mutual understanding. The sooner we come to this state the faster we can begin healing ourselves versus spending an exorbitant amount of energy playing a chess game between you and You.   Perhaps you like being a chess master, but the challenge of the game becomes infinitely more fun when you are playing yourself and discovering the strengths and weaknesses within between you the ego and you the Spirit. Life does not have to be a chess game that is not beatable. We make ourselves believe that to be the case, yet I too was wrong with that preconceived notion. Life is the chess board and not the game itself. Where you deploy your pieces is your strategic involvement. Imagine what “your game” would be like if you had double the pieces and all of them were under your command and no opponent. Freedom of choice, freedom to explore peace, freedom of destiny and free will for your game. The more in sync you are with Ego and soul working together the more pieces you have to be more productive to go across the board. Figure out your life board, deploy your pieces, and have a great chess game.

Have you attained chess master status yet?