Everything one needs to know about how life works can be learned from playing a few games of Solitaire with a full deck of cards. The game teaches us about all the forces at work that cause us to either win or lose. No matter how we shuffle the cards, luck plays at least as large a part in the outcome of the game as does our knowledge and skill. We can never know which cards will come face up as we deal the cards and which will be hidden. As in life, there are many unknown variables that can make or break our effort to achieve a goal.
Solitaire also teaches us that we cannot win every game we play, proving true the old cliché, “We win some, and we lose some.” Sometimes the cards we are dealt can give us an easy win, and sometimes, the cards we are dealt cause us to lose the game just as swiftly. The beauty of this game, especially if you are playing the old-fashioned way without a computer, is the only other player at the table is Fate. We cannot suspect anyone of cheating or of rigging the game, and we never know who will win, us or Fate. Or, another way of looking at it is we never know whether Fate will allow us to win or force us to lose.
Playing solitaire and being mindful of the role of luck in the outcome is a humble reminder that we are not in full control of our lives, no matter how rich or poor or talented we are. Certainly, knowing how to make the most of the cards that pop up like possible job opportunities helps us to win, but just as certainly, knowledge alone does not determine the outcome.
I have found the game of Solitaire fascinating from this perspective, and I find myself laughing at the ironies that come up from game to game. Sometimes, at first glance of the cards that are dealt, it appears I have the worst luck. Yet, as I make the effort to play the game as best I can anyway, I am surprised to win it. Other times, it appears I have an easy win in front of me, but Fate holds just one or two cards out of play and makes the game impossible to win.
Whether we win or lose a game of Solitaire, Fate is the powerbroker. If the cards we need don’t come up, we lose. If they do, we win. Either way, it’s not in our control. When we lose a game, all we can do is accept the loss and decide whether to play another game and take the chance we might win the next one. We might find ourselves in a losing streak, but if we shuffle and reshuffle the cards and keep playing, eventually, we will win at least one game. Such is luck. The more we play the more we increase the possibility of eventually winning, and that is the extent of our control—the decision to quit or to try again, and that is the way life works.
I must confess that even my attempts to cheat at Solitaire or play by my own rules, does not change the role of Fate. There is no escaping or working around the force of luck. No wonder we can be so superstitious! Maybe our so-called “superstition” is our way of giving some credit where it is due. Fate is a real and powerful force in our lives. It always has been and always will be, and acknowledging it can keep us humble as well as grateful when we are successful. Rather than take all the credit for our successes, I suggest we give a nod to Fate, at the very least, and when others are not as fortunate, I recommend that we refrain from judging them and not assume they are not has smart, talented, or hardworking as we are. It could be they just were not lucky enough to have been dealt the right cards to win.
Photo Credit: Badhan Ganesh
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