First Conceived: 16/10/19, 0742.
Calling together my DAWK council. This one has been a looong time coming. How do we avoid evolving into a sore loser? How do we take defeat on the chin and move forward?
The Devil snapped up the light “Simple. Do not let it occur! We do not have time to be lingering around Loserville. I am aggravated that you even consider it an option! You best believe I will let you know when you let it happen however. For that is the only way we can deal with the undesired result. We must critique your failings, and I will come at you with a hard hand under such circumstances, as none of these weak critters will say what needs to be said [referring to the other council members]. You can always be better, you should be better. That is indicative of a loss! Anything short of a win is unsatisfactory; you know that, you can feel that burning sensation in your diaphragm when you lose. You feel embarrassed, you look like a fool, and worse, you make me look like a fool! No, defeat is not an option. That is why we need to sacrifice everything to ensure it never comes into fruition. Trust me, I can guide you to the top of the world, I can mould you into an unstoppable force. Just listen to my words boy and we shall never lose!”
“Oh fuck off you burnt man!” The Witch took The Devil’s brief pause as a chance to interject. “He’s such a tyrant isn’t he? Don’t you worry about him little boy, I have a much easier solution. How does defeat happen? Hmm? Well it’s because, because we play a game in the first place. So how do we stop defeat forever? We just don’t play! Who needs to play these bullshit games society forces upon us anyway? We can dodge all those shit house emotions that defeat gives us, if we just play our own game. You got everything you need in your own head, here with us! We can play, hell, we can play with no pain! Fuck everyone else, they don’t know you, they don’t know anything! I fuckin hate it when we lose, because most of the time there is nothing we can do about it. The red man says it’s our fault when we lose, bullshit! It’s the world. You know what though? Defeat will still have to happen at some point won’t it. At some point, it will fuck our day up; no chance of stopping it. But I have an answer for everything my boy! In those cases, the ones where we have to interact with other people, play some bullshit game, and lose, we can outweigh those bad emotions with good emotions. How? By using the best counter we have found, drugs! You know how good they make us feel. Let’s fuckin bath in that shit! Just roll up a lil joint and puff that pain away. No weed? Well then, look at the bottom of a bottle! No alcohol? Pffft, don’t make me laugh, you always have something! Or else you can just go get it, it’s super easy. Swap those painful moments for a moment of fun, a moment of joy. Numb that pain, because we don’t want that shit around here.”
The Angel and The Wise King looked at their counter parts in absolute disgust. It was an off day in the council; the negative elements of being were in full force, battling with one another and being itself. The Wise King stepped in to try to rectify their appalling performance. “How dare you, both of you! You try to mislead our Boy down a dark road? Why? You selfish scum! If you dare enter this sacred space in such a manner again, you can be sure it will be the last time, heed my warning!” Changing his tone and taking the light he turned to the issue at hand. “I’m sorry about them son. You bring about a great point, it is a valiant question to pose and only a handful of people would have the courage to consider such; you should be proud of that. Firstly, we must acknowledge competition as a necessary component in life, and something that should not be feared. Competition does not have to result in negative emotion, competition does not have to be a zero-sum game, and competition does not have to have a malicious outcome. Competition is the means in which we improve our state of being. That is all and that is how we must view such encounters. Detach yourself from the game and keep the reins of your emotions in hand. In that sense, when we face defeat, we must remember we are only playing a game that is embedded within the game of life; the meta-game. Which game would you rather ‘win’? I think it is best to work to play the game of life in a valorous, composed and fair manner, powered by the motivation to manifest the better parts of human nature. To use an old proverb, ‘it’s not about winning; it’s about how you play the game’. In your soul, you know this to be true. Defeat is therefore a prompt for reassessment. We should not deny this process, but rather welcome it with open arms. This in an opportunity to learn, to evolve! In the analysis, it is of the utmost importance to concentrate on the elements within the loss that you played a part in. Asking questions such as ‘What could I have done better?’ is always superior to ‘What could my team have done better?’ Start with yourself young one, and you will find there is always a way in which you have failed. Nevertheless, there is nothing wrong with said failures; leave the negative connotation for the masses and transcend such a mindset. This is the process of betterment, which leads to wisdom and the development of skills. Stave of the bitterness and resentment my boy. Seek feedback, engage with constructive criticism, and remember it is all part of the game of life.”
“Well put Wise one, and I join you in the apology for the sad outrage express by our negative counterparts, it won’t happen again.” The Angel entered the light in a luminous manner to shine out the negative beings trying to make a stand for themselves. “The Wise King will do well in guiding you towards playing the game of life in a spirited manner, and I am happy to gift him the light in such times. However, if our negative counterparts do tempt you into such vulgar expressions, I will always be here to comfort you. You know that don’t you my child? If you are down after a loss, major or miniscule, and you are not ready to reassess the situation, then my kind words will be here. We can work through those hurtful emotions together and try to navigate that chaos in a healthy manner. I would like to briefly touch on the beneficial elements of competition as well. My claim is that there is no separation between competition and co-operation. Co-operation is the means in which we make life bearable, an agreement amongst humans to for each other to bring about the best possible existence for all. We co-operate to get tasks done and work towards joint goals. In my eyes, this is the essence of competition; we would not need compete if there were no goals would we? And if we agree a goal is never achieved by one’s own actions, then co-operation is the mechanism in achieving goals, thus, co-operation is the mechanism in healthy/successful competition. A team is the oil that makes the cogs of life spin in a smooth manner my boy. So remember, when you lose, it is nothing more than an opportunity for growth. Remember, I will always be here to console you when the pain evoked from the loss is overwhelming. Remember there is a time to grieve beyond the realm of order, before you reassess the loss. Remember, that to compete is to co-operate. And finally, Remember to chase the good and you will always win in the long run.”
The Wise King rapt things up, “You are always here to bring the forgotten elements to light, thank you Angel. Do not think it’s wrong to express negative emotions following a defeat; it is perfectly natural. Just know that there is a correct/better way of moving through those painful moments, luckily our Angel here is an expert in that domain. Once again, please excuse our counter parts evil display today; you know they have a tendency to degenerate into a true horror of existence. I plea you disregard their comments, however, you are the judge, so consider what you please.”
Judges Response: 25/10/19, 0801
“That sure was an emotional rollercoaster team! A lot of different perspective to consider there. I feel so closely aligned to the view of The Devil on an instinctual level. I think it is best to blame yourself and look for better ways; ways to ensure that will not happen again. The problem is I know that frame of mind and the associated drivers are malicious at heart. It’s something I feel like I always contest with. The Witch is completely off in my opinion. I’ll give it some credit in that I can fall into the trap of blaming other people for a defeat, especially in a team environment. This is usually when I am already in a negative frame of mind going into the game, or bearing a grudge of sorts against a certain person(s). I think that mindfulness is the remedy to such cases; being aware that I am in such a state is the first step to rectifying it. Ideally, I don’t want to point the finger, but I also need to acknowledge when those moments arise, for acknowledgement is the first step on the path of improvement. As for the Wise and Holy opinions, it was great to see them come together, as the positive elements of being took down their negative counterpart. It goes to show the power of co-operation and the good in general. Their POV is something I should always strive to act out in reality. Ultimately, keeping the meta-game of life in mind is the best thing I can do. I love the point about co-operation too; it paints competition in a much better light than the norm. I hate how competitive nature is becoming a negative facet of existence, for it is the process of development, the process of testing our limits and pushing them to see who we can truly be. I understand there are negative sides to it, such as the Devil and the Witch. But honestly, what doesn’t have a negative extreme? It is my job as the individual to maintain control of those parts, and that can only be done through acknowledgement, a certain amount of detachment and the will to improve. Thank you all for your help; to the game of life!”
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