Chess

02007-09-04 | Musings, World | 3 comments

From the Upaya Newsletter

Chess, which exists predominantly in two dimensions, is one of the world’s most difficult games. Three-dimensional chess is an invitation to insanity. But human relationships, even of the simplest order, are like a kind of four-dimensional chess, a game whose pieces and positions change subtly and inexorably between moves, whose players stare dumbly while their powerful positions deteriorate into hopeless predicaments and while improbable combinations suddenly become inevitable. To make matters worse, some games are open to any number of players, and all sides are expected to win.
– Robert Grudin, from “Time and the Art of Living”

3 Comments

  1. mario

    Thank you for this post, Ottmar. This touched me deeply

    Reply
  2. Will

    I like it. Ambiguous enough to apply to all models of relationships yet is clear. So if it is insanity to play a 3 dimensional game it must be stupidity to play a 4 dimensional game in which “win” does not have a definition or multiple definitions. In essence, we are playing a stupid game without a clear common end goal. What would happen if our end goal, our “win”, was common? Say that end goal is “compassion” or “humility”.

    Reply
  3. llindaskaye*******

    ottmar, i actually “understande” that…must be at that age too where it all makes sense…alwayes amore, llindaskaye e.p.*******

    Reply

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