The game of chess

A young man said to the abbot of a monastery:

"I would really like to become a monk, but I have learned nothing of importance in my life. My father only taught me how to play chess, and that does not lead to enlightenment. And besides, I was told that all games are sinful."

"They can be sinful, but they can also be a diversion, and perhaps this monastery needs a little of both," came the reply.

The abbot called for a chessboard and summoned a monk to play with the young man. However, before the game began, he added:

"We may need diversion, but we cannot have everyone playing chess all the time. We will have only the best players here. If our monk loses, he will leave the monastery, thus creating an opening for you."

The abbot was deadly serious.
The young man played an aggressive game, but then he noticed the saintly look in the monk’s eyes, and from then on, he began to play deliberately badly.
He decided that he would rather lose because he felt that the monk could prove far more useful to the world than him.

Suddenly, the abbot overturned the chessboard onto the floor.

"You learned far more than you were taught," he said.
"You have the powers of concentration necessary to win and you are capable of fighting for what you want, but you also have compassion and the ability to sacrifice yourself for a noble cause. You have shown yourself capable of balancing discipline and mercy; welcome to our monastery!"

-Paulo Coelho


This is one of Paulo's longest stories which I blogged in here but it is quite easy to relate to.
There are points in our lives when we give in to not having what we want to achieve.
We give in to people or even situations, of which many times, I have to admit that it makes us look terrible.
In fact, those who aren't in the situation would become judgemental and deem to what they would want to believe.

Assumptions.
I remember Boss kept telling me to trash out issues rather than start assuming.
Humans start see the external movements only to create a story.

If a picture can paint a thousand words and if actions speak louder than words, then an explaination would only proved pointless.

That is why Islam teaches us the purification of the heart.
Sincerity, patience and compassion.

We will be constantly tested by The Almighty in all aspects.
We have a choice - limited choices I would say.
I choose to be quiet when situations are not favourable to avoid less conflict.
But we are not brought into this world to just think about us.
Then probably He would have placed you in Jupiter or something.

We try to make the best decisions out of the limited choices, though the best may just not be it.
People might again deem that we aren't putting in the effort.
But that would be an assumption wouldn't it?

I am not out here to make a difference to the world.
Never.
I never wanted to be President when I can't ensure my own success in life.
But that does not mean that I am not doing anything.

I am always doing the best within my limitations. My best for everyone.
But if no one can fathom, then it's all God's grace.
Else there would not be a hadith that said,"Patience spells out half of your piety"



Patience is waiting. Not waiting passively. That is laziness.
But to keep going when the going is hard and slow - that is patience



The Country GM declared a holiday for all IBM-ers in SG.
I couldn't thank God enough for letting me sleep a bit more tomorrow.
I'm going to let the body tell the mind to give it both a good rest.
It's about time I need to stop battling.


They say they don't know when but a day is gonna come.
When there won't be a moon and there won't be a sun.
It will just go black.
It will just go back to the way it was before.