I am having the best time with my mother in Tamil Nadu, India!!! Out of the 12-15 waking hours in a day, I spend 3 hours eating, dressing and chatting with Mommy; 3 hours reading or shopping, and the remaining 6-10 hours glued to the computer playing the card game 'Hearts.' (Yes, I am inevitably going to fall prey to Carpel Tunnel Syndrome) What a futile waste of time, you might say! Well, you are right - why else would I spend so much time playing it!
However, over the past week or so, I have noticed that the game has oriented me to several interesting facts about life, in general, and my personality, in specific. Hence, what started off as an efficient excuse to avoid helping my poor mom around the house (haha...:D) has turned into an interesting, eye-opening experience. Honestly, the game teaches me new things every time.
But, first, it is important to understand the game to better appreciate my claim.
The game requires four players. At each turn, the card deck is divided equally - i.e. 13 cards each - between them, and each player has to give up three cards to another player. Say, there are four players: A, B, C and D. Player A can give to B who gives to C who gives to D; or Player A can give to D who gives to C who gives to B. There are several alternatives, and a probability theorist will be able to tell you the exact different ways to pass three cards! Note that one player can neither receive cards from more than one player nor give cards to more than one player. An additional rule is that no cards are passed every fourth turn. That is, players pass cards the first three times, they don't pass any the fourth time; again, they pass cards the fifth, sixth and seventh time, and don't pass any the eighth time, and so on.
The player's final goal is to minimize the number of points received, ideally per turn or, more realistically, by the end of the game. Ace is the highest card, while two is the lowest (Ace-King-Queen-Jack-Ten-Nine-Eight-Seven-Six-Five-Four-Three-Two). Each card in the 'hearts' suit is worth one point, while the queen of spades is worth thirteen. The rest are not worth any points. In essence, the number of points one can receive ranges between 0 and 26 per turn. The game ends when a player(s) reaches or exceeds 100 points. The player with the lowest score wins. Remember that the cards with no points are just as important, if not more, to ensure your success. High cards in suits other than hearts can also easily reduce your chances of winning.
The game is quite simple, but also exciting because while it is easy to win, it is just as easy to lose. Your points depend largely on: (a) Luck - players are handicapped if they don't have good cards or receive high-points cards from another player; (b) Strategy - players have to carefully think about which cards to pass because their decision can go a long way in minimizing their risk; (c) Timing - when to play which card is very very important. Being alert really helps here; (d) Practice: the more you play, the better you will get at anticipating your opponents' moves (AND cards), and the higher the frequency of your winning.
Aren't these also the most important ingredients of a successful life? Yes, it is too simplistic to assume that a card game can offer insights, but I believe that a person's approach to ANY situation can reveal a lot about his or her personality. For instance, I have learnt that:
a. I prefer a challenge. When I have really good cards in a turn, I am almost disappointed. I'd rather win a fair fight than emerge triumphant due to an unfair advantage.
b. I tend to give up easily too! It's funny that someone who enjoys a challenge is also a quitter, but I noticed that when my cards seem too dismal, I deliberately make the wrong moves to end the game quickly instead of trying to salvage the situation as much as possible.
c. I am willing to take risks, but couple of failures erode my confidence, and I play safe again. To give an example: I normally try to ensure that I don't have one suit in my hand so when an opponent plays a card of that missing suit, I can ruff it with a high-score card from another suit, preferably Q of spades or a heart card. However, there are times when I take a risk by deliberately keeping all the suits in hand just to make the game more exciting. But if this strategy backfires even once, I fall back into my 'safe mode. '
d. The entire process of successfully anticipating the moves and cards of my 'computer opponents' gives me a high! I almost always feel like a strategist for a big firm who is responsible for a product's success...ha
e. While I do get dejected by losses, I don't let it prey on my mind for too long, although being triumphant obviously makes me happy. However, silly mistakes do get me down, such as playing the Queen of Spades when I have other good cards in my hand!
But apart from giving an insight into my personality, the game draws strange parallels to life itself. Consider the following facts:
a. One needs to sacrifice something in order to achieve something bigger and better: How many times have we sacrificed sleep to ace exams? Or stayed away from fatty foods to lose weight? No one can be successful without giving up something close to their heart. Similarly, in Hearts, I have often lost one or more turns before winning the game. It's just another variation of 'lose the battle, win the war.'
b. Life often gives us the chance to atone. Name one person who hasn't erred in life! But all is not lost because of our mistakes. The secret to success lies in realizing our mistakes and taking steps to correct them as much as we can. In this game too, I have made simple mistakes, such as accidentally dropping the wrong card or voluntarily giving up many points because of some misdirected anger. However, one bad turn frequently gives way to another good turn as long as I stay away from repeating my errors.
c. Tackle your weaknesses first. How often have you postponed 'difficult or uncomfortable' tasks, hoping that you may never get around to doing them? How often have you then wished that if only you had completed the tough tasks first life would be so much easier? Well, I can speak for myself and say, 'a million times!' This game too exemplifies the importance of dealing with 'weaknesses', or in this case, 'bad cards' that will negate our chances of scoring low points. After years of playing this game, disposing my uncomfortable cards has become a priority, thereby greatly increasing my percentage of success.
d. Never worry about what others will do. It's a simple truth that we can only control our actions. Hence, brooding about someone else's decisions and actions will only lead to hours of unwanted procrastination and depression. I cannot change others, so why bother worrying about them? I hardly think about which card my opponents are going to throw because the best I can do is strategize based on their moves.
e. Life throws unexpected curveballs. Just when things are going very smoothly, life throws a googly that shocks you to the core. In this game, I have often been in situations wherein one bad card in my hand ruins that entire turn. What can I do in such situations? I can only be accepting and do the best I can to salvage the situation. Isn't this the perfect way to lead our lives too? Isn't this solution better than becoming bitter and ruining any chances of success in the future? Having a long-term outlook is a must for a happy life.
f. Over-confidence is one of the biggest evils of humanity. Confidence helps. Over-confidence kills. I can name several personalities from a variety of professional fields who have fallen off their triumphant throne solely due to their over-confidence. Why do people overdo their confidence? I suspect it makes them feel special and invincible. But the first step towards becoming vincible is the same over-confidence because it blinds us to our faults and potential obstacles. During the course of this game, I have often smiled smugly at my 'computer opponents' until they shockingly put me in my place. What seemed like an easy-breezy turn suddenly becomes disastrous due to some miscalculation that bred out of over-confidence. Believe in yourself. Be confident. Just don't be unnecessarily cocksure.
g. Life has some unfair rules. Suck it up and do your best. There is one weird rule in the game of Hearts. If one opponent bags all the 26 points in one turn, he is given 0 points while the rest of the players get 26 points. The rule doesn't quite make sense to me, but I have given up minding it. How many times have you thought, "If only my office didn't have this stupid rule.."; or "If only the government didn't ask us to pay taxes.....". What we don't realize that everyone has to follow the same rule, and instead of cribbing and whining incessantly we should decide to stay within the limits and deliver efficiently and effectively.
h. Bide your time patiently. Patience is a virtue not many appreciate in today's fast-paced society. People want results too quickly. They equate patience with procrastination. In my opinion, success lies not in striking constantly, but in striking at the right opportunity. You can do nothing and still do everything. I have to sometimes stand in the sidelines in the game while my opponents take home the winnings. I accept high-score cards, patiently increasing my score, until finally attacking with the best card that will still keep me in the lead.
i. It's okay to lose - in your loss lies the secret of your potential success. There are times when I lose this game very badly, but these losses only make my wins more special because I knew I have worked hard, corrected my mistakes, and therefore deserve them. In life too, losing doesn't mean the end. It only means that you are in the right path towards success because mistakes are invaluable. They inform and educate you about what works and what doesn't, which will only aid in your future triumphs. So, chin up people, and keep trying. Each time you fumble, smile and save the experience in your head. Very soon, you will reach the pinnacle of success, thanks to those failures.
To sum up, the game 'Hearts' reinforced the only edict of life that genuinely matters: Be sincere, diligently do your best, don't worry about the consequences (adapted from a beautiful saying from Bhagvat Gita). There is no other surefire way to success.
