The Name of the Game: Protect your Vision

Chess is arguably the ultimate game of strategy. Likened to battle, its concepts are commonly intertwined with those of war. It is a game of tactic and maneuverability. More so than being able to read the opposition, one must be able to see multiple steps ahead while also being prepared to act upon the opposition’s counters. The objective is to protect the most sovereign piece on the board- the king. Though it may not be your most powerful piece, it is the most integral because its presence and positioning determines the strategy. Essentially, the king is the general. He is facilitating commands throughout the board in order to protect his kingdom while expanding his reign.

            When studying the styles of different chess players and dissecting the game of chess, it can be seen that this game is truly a game of vision. Those who can see further ahead are the most successful. By taking a satellite view of the chess board, one can appreciate all the possibilities that exist. A multitude of game plans can be extracted to achieve a particular goal. By moving your sights to the ground view, the possibilities don’t change but the perception does.

            Incarnate yourself into the piece of the king, and see yourself as the ruler of the kingdom. As ruler, you have many people who seek you for guidance and leadership. With such responsibility bestowed upon you, vision must be present. In respect to this   incarnation, a new concept can be applied to chess as it also applies to life. This new concept is to protect the vision.

            In many ways, chess is like life and at any moment one move can profoundly affect, not only your goals, but your vision. The first move made in chess, begins before a single piece is even touched. It is the recognition of the pieces around the king and their roles in respect to their positioning. Thus is the same in life, where as, you must have a keen awareness of those in your camp and the roles they play in respect to their relationship to you. The importance of this is crucial because these ties play a key part into the manifestation or demise of your vision.

            The next step is to be familiar with your landscape. It is of extreme importance to know your terrain, and to recognize your strong and weak points on the board. Familiarity in this sense allows you to attack and maneuver effectively and efficiently. To maintain vision you must know your surroundings- the physical and nonphysical. In all aspects of life, it is imperative that potential roadblocks and pitfalls are identified, and that opportunities are taken advantage of. With vision comes a sense of awareness that allows to you to understand that all that is visual may not be what it seems. Life is filled with metaphorical terrains, such as nature having its peaks and valleys, oceans and rivers; but having the ability to envision success on the other side (just as you can see the same across the chess board) allows for the appropriate path of getting there to unfold.

            As with anything in life you will be faced with opposition. Common physics asserts that every action has a reaction, and that any force placed on an object will exert an opposing force. The same applies in chess in which one move will, in response, result in an opposing move. From the offensive viewpoint, the opposition’s goal is to attack and impede progress. It blocks paths, marches inward, and takes prisoners all the while weakening the camp of its rival. The opposition obscures vision, and it destroys dreams. It prevents movement and it counters actions. Whether dealing with people or feat, your opponent possess the power of deceit and illusion that can stray you away from your goal, if you are not prepared and well-equipped.

            Even on the offensive front, the strategy is crucial. Each move opens up paths of maneuverability akin to lines of sight. Key pieces clear the way for success, and key people aide the growth of your vision. They encourage, support, and extend help to the success of your cause. To the contrary, there are pieces that are positioned in such a way that prohibits movement and traps you. They allow for the opposition to surround you.  There are people in your life that pose the same threat. They reside in your camp as friends and families but their actions and words inflict harm to your vision. They pull on you and prevent forward progression. They lack insight and bring forth no positive input. They deceive and place guilt upon you. However, in chess, pieces are sacrificed for the overall success of the game, and in life the same sacrifices are necessary for manifesting the vision.

            Ultimately, the objective of chess is to checkmate the king; meaning the king is captured and has no other move. When a king is in check, he is in direct line of danger, but has escape routes. He is threatened but not destroyed. With vision, there are people and obstacles that put you in check. They obscure your vision. They tell you that you can’t; you believe you can’t. Tasks become more difficult than they seem, but like the game of chess there are escape moves and it is up to you to prevent your vision from being destroyed or “checkmated.”

God Bless

How We See Ourselves

As I was responding to an email, I noticed that the profile picture to whom I was replying was that of a house cat staring into a mirror. It's a cute picture but a powerful illustration because what the cat sees as a reflection of himself is the image of a lion.

I also watched a talk on TED.com where Brene Brown (Listening to Shame) discusses the topic of shame and vulnerability. Here, she asked how many people in the audience view vulnerability as a weakness. A large majority raised their hand. She later asked how many people who saw vulnerability on the stage viewed it as courageous. A large group rose their hands. My assumption is that the display of vulnerability when viewed as a weakness is most likely associated to self, and seen as courageous when associated to others.

On another TED talk, Sheryl Sandberg (Why we have too few women leaders), exclaimed that the difference between men and women is that men attribute their successes to themselves, and that women sort of downplay their successes and divert the credit. This was a very powerful talk.

I mention these three examples to talk about self-perception. How do we view ourselves opposed to how we want other people to perceive us? Do we really feel the excitement of life that we present on our facebook pictures, or is it what we want people to believe? Do we really feel beautiful when we dress up to go out on the town, or is that how we want to appear? When we tell people that we really have confidence in ourselves, is it mere words to deflect pity or is it the honest truth?

How do we really feel when the spotlight is on us? When our bosses critique our performance, do we still feel like the lion in the mirror?

Everyday, I struggle with how I perceive myself and maintaining that "lion" image. Somedays, I lose that battle; and some of those days are when things are going well. Everyday, life humbles me whether it is in my baseball career or my personal life. I begin to worry about how others are viewing me, but more importantly I begin to doubt if I am who I really say I am; or if I am as worthy as I believed I was.

I am learning everyday that it is ok to say that I am great. I don't have to wait on people to tell me that I am a lion.

It is ok to say you are great. It is perfectly fine to believe that you are beautiful. It is not the end of the world if everyone doesn't agree with you or if everyone doesn't like you. You can't be everything to everyone, but you can be everything to yourself! Everyone will never be pleased. Besides, though we are our most biased critics, we are our best critics. We know when we are lying to ourselves. We know how we really feel. We have the key to truly shape our perception, but also the decision to determine if we really believe what we are presenting.

God Bless

The World is My Stage

The world is my stage.  The sun and moon is my spotlight. This stage of mine I shall not fear, because I walk it every second of everyday. Everyday, I am presented with an audience that is eager to hear my message. Each day, I am expected to perform the greatest show, for my Greatest Spectator sits in the High box above. So, to You I clearly project my voice, present myself well, and display the utmost integrity. I will give the greatest performance as if it is my last, and I will embrace every cheer and jeer with my head held high.

God Bless

How Can We Dream When We Fear Nightmares?

How can we dream when we fear nightmares? How are we supposed to dream when we are afraid to sleep? In other words, how are we collectively to dream big when we fear the unknown to the point where it paralyzes us?

Avoiding the nightmare instead of facing the nightmare, most assuredly insures that the nightmare will become reality.

Michael Jordan always wanted the ball in the waning seconds when it mattered. The nightmare was him missing the shot and his team losing, but I would assume that he also figured that him not having the ball would result in an ensuing loss as well. Thus, he faced his nightmare to prevent a nightmare. Sometimes, it came true and sometimes it didn't, but he realized that at the end it was just a fear, and that regardless of the result, he had another day to dream again.

At the end of day, we must realize that nightmares are a figment of our imagination, and when we allow ourselves to sleep we give ourselves the ability to dream. When we dream, we encounter nightmares along the way, but one way to overcome them is by facing them.

Let us not let our nightmares inhibit our ability to dream...

God Bless

If the Seas Could Talk -By Brian Barton

If the seas could talk

What would they say?

That they’ve seen the world throughout

And crashed the beaches of every continent,

Or that they’ve encountered the greatest of sailors,

Discoverers, merchants, and pirates of the sorts,

Would they speak of the grand treasures they possess?

Vastly more than the chests that has been sunken in its depths

If the seas could talk

What would they say?

Surely, they would speak of the many life forms they’ve seen

That dwells the land, swims the depths,

And that soars in the breeze

Would it speak of its wrath or its serenity?

From relaxation on the beach

To those lost at sea

If the seas could talk

What would they say?

Would they boast of their peaks and valleys

That would assuredly bring Mt. Everest and the Grand Canyon

Shame?

Maybe, it would tell us the story of the lands and how it

 Sculpted the contours of it’s essence

If the seas could talk

What would they say?

Would they mention parted waters or

Flooded cities?

Or would they speak of Neptune the ruler of the 7 seas?

Would it speak of its waves rising to the moon

Like outstretched arms raised to the Almighty?

Maybe the seas are talking

But we are just not listening

From every crashing wave

To the voices of hollow shells

The seas are speaking

From the blinding reflection of the sun

To the glistening light of the moon

A story is being told

Even those worshipping waves,

Out stretched to the heavens

May be warning us

If the seas the could talk

What would they say?

Listen.

.......................................

Your Dream Can Be As Big As You Want, As Long As You Prepare For It

The Plight of African-Americans

Yesterday, during a long walk along the water of Campeche, Mexico, I took my thoughts back home to the United States; more so to the inner-cities of America. I, normally on accounts, am accustomed to taking such walks throughout neighborhoods so this one was no different.

            During the walk, I began to think about the plight of African-Americans in America. For years, spanning decades, America has experienced the strength of blacks. Blacks have been freeing other blacks from slavery and speaking against the injustices of such an institution for many years. We’ve fought in wars, orchestrated protests, revolutionized medicine, and captivated the entertainment world. But now as I look back on all of our accomplishments, I ask myself, “what now?”

            Black progression has come to a halt, and has leveled off, if not declined. I walk through these communities, and wonder such thoughts. I see hopefulness, but I also see content. I see potential, but I also see lack of motivation. I notice gentrification processes going on, yet no one seems to ponder how they are going to be affected.

            Through one lens, I reconcile with the effect that an unjust America has had and, in many cases, still have on African-Americans. Through another lens, I get the sense of a “they made us this way, so deal with it” feeling. This second lens sparks my concern, because the perception that it brings is that we do not aim to achieve more individually, or progressively as a people. Civil right movements and an era of pride did so much for African-Americans only to end up with contentment.

            I’m not writing as a “pull yourself by the bootstrap” republican or “wealth distributing” democrat. I am writing as a person who wants to see his people empowered. I am writing as someone who wants heads raised high instead of turned down. I am writing as a man who is exhausted from hearing his people make excuses instead of making things happen.

            Justifications can be made, never-endingly, as to the state we are in, but the real slavery is a result of the excuses we make. The real jail is the captive mentality we have. The real welfare is the lack of incentive and motivation we give ourselves. The real insight is in knowing that the inability to recognize, along with our inactivity, perpetuates our digression. Opposition will always strike, but offense should not halt.

            In a country where race matters more than any other place in the world, we also make race our own problem. Race is placed upon us, and we place race on ourselves. We allow race to keep us in the rat race. We allow race to keep us content. We let its affect spread to our kids. I recognize the power of race, but more importantly I recognize the strength of my people. Let us not stop trying; let us keep pushing.

            My friend discussed with me a forum she attended celebrating Malcolm X and the question was asked “What do you think Malcolm would think about where black people stand today? Would he be proud?” I think the real question is not whether our ancestors will be proud of us, but if our children and their children will have pride in us.

God Bless