OPPORTUNITY: a game of hard knocks and soft touches
This issue’s theme is about the paths we navigate in order to get where we’re going and how to map them. I know that sounds incredibly strategic but if you think about it, we only find ourselves searching for ways to move forward once we have a goal in mind, no?
So in the game of Opportunity, your pieces are Imagination, (which can move in any direction), Hope (forward limitlessly), Labor (one square at a time, sometimes backwards) and Luck (a limited edition piece you don’t know you have until key moments in the game). Your adversary depends on where you are. And the prize? Why your dream come true, of course.
You can tell a lot about people by the way they interpret certain words. When presented with this issue’s theme, FU team members quickly fell into two camps: the “it’s around every corner, so get out and get yours” camp and the “it’s a scarce commodity, so get out and make your own” camp. But get out you must. All seemed to agree on that. Furthermore, according to this round of contributors, throughout the game there are certain skills and techniques that can help you become a better player, including awareness of your strengths, acceptance of your flaws, generosity of spirit and a taste for adventure and experimentation. F--king up every now and again is also highly recommended – it may change the game entirely but it also forces you to learn how to think on your feet, a sign of true greatness.
For these two approaches (opportunities are everywhere to be seized vs. opportunities are nowhere to be found), there are requisite golden rules, which thankfully complement each other. For those who think chances are everywhere, acute awareness of everything happening around you, fueled by endless curiosity, is a key skill to have. On the other hand, if it’s up to you to forge your own way, having the courage to simply ask for what you want, bolstered with the resolve to break new ground and pioneer new pathways, are the characteristics required. But as I said, you can and therefore should do both.
The most meddlesome element in all of this, is time. I read in an article just yesterday that “impatience is a disease in our society” – more so for those of us who have grown up since the commoditization of the Internet and most critically for spoiled and speed-enabled New Yorkers. We hear time and again that at the end of the day it’s about being in the right place at the right time, and that what we want will come to us only if and when it’s supposed to. Advice nuggets like these can be simultaneously comforting and annoying as hell. A better idea in my opinion is something Saleem mentioned in one of our regular symposiums across hemispheres: the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Literally meaning “improvement”, the philosophy focuses on “slow and steady continuous development throughout all aspects of life.” If we keep this in mind with each round (whatever the consequences) the stressful part of playing will melt away. This in turn increases your likelihood of reaching the end of the game a winner – the most fun part of which is being able to yell, “Checkmate!”
by Onika Simon
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