It was a while back that I blogged about how life is like a game of Monopoly. At that time of my life, I would have to say that was a great way to describe it, but not so much anymore. After playing a game of Chutes and Ladders with my kids the other day, I feel like life is more like that game rather than Monopoly.
If you never played Chutes and Ladders, then shame on you because it a staple game of childhood. It is THE game of ups and downs and really, that’s what life really is: A lot of ups and downs. On the board you get to move up for doing the right thing. You do chores, you move up. You help others, you move up. You do your work, you move up. The ladders move you up closer to winning. Now that I think about that, isn’t that taking the short cut? Aren’t we told to work hard and follow the correct paths to our goals? Isn’t it ingrained in our brains to play by the rules and never take the short cut? Hmmm…
Alas, if you break the rules you slide back down and have to start moving up again. You don’t do your chores, you slide down. You don’t help others, you slide down. You don’t do your work, you slide down. There is a consequence for not doing the right thing. Isn’t that what’s supposed to happen in real life? Aren’t we always told cheaters never prosper? Aren’t we been told good things happen to good people? Aren’t we told hard workers will reap the rewards? So why is it then that life doesn’t always follow the rules of Chutes and Ladders?
We have all seen it when a person who is so undeserving of a promotion moves up. We have seen people who take the short cut or laze off and succeed despite themselves. We have watched the cheaters win. But, that is all part of life. It is these lessons that I feel make people stronger in the end. I feel it is these “unfair” situations that give people character and integrity. It is these “unfair” situations that make people strive to be better, stronger and hold steadfast.
As hard as one may work, as much as one may follow the rules, and as much as one plays the right way, no one is guaranteed to move up. You may find yourself moving back down and having to start all over. But it is the journey that matters. It is how you handle the journey that is important. It is the experience of moving up and falling down, picking yourself up, and dusting yourself off and doing it all over again that is crucial. Life is a game of ups and downs. You spin the spinner, you roll the dice, you take your chances and if you climb up to find yourself only moving back down, at least you moved.
Maybe Chutes and Ladders doesn’t really teach the right lessons in the sense that if you do good you get to move ahead by taking the shortcut. There are no shortcuts in life. Also, it teaches that when you do good you move up and when you do bad you move back down. That is not always the case either. Yes, life is a whole bunch of ups and downs, but the ups and downs aren’t always fairly justified. We have to roll with the punches and hopefully, if we do this with character and integrity, we will get the blue ribbon in the end and who doesn’t want that big, pretty blue ribbon at the top?
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