Awaken Quixote

Too much sanity may be madness and the maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be.

Miguel de Cervantes

As children, we see wonder and fantasy all around us. Any car we got on would become a race car or a tank. Any stick would be a wand or a sword. Any box could become a space ship or a plane. We would be fascinated by something as simple as a line of ants crossing a sidewalk or by how rain fell on a hot day. In our world, magic was real and hero’s existed.

Our fantasy world held true till the grown-ups started to tell us to get out of the rain or we’d catch a cold. And brick by brick, our world was brought down as we were told that daydreaming was a waste of time; that gallantry was dead in a jaded world. The monsters under our beds were replaced by the monsters walking in our everyday lives. Magical scrolls were replaced with unending bills and our swords were replaced with painful words. But I’m going to tell you a little secret, a realization about this new world we discovered as adulthood hit.

The world didn’t change. We did. We decided to ignore the beauty of our everyday as we placed blinders made out of pessimism and insecurities. We are told that the world is a harsh place where there will always be someone trying to hurt us or to take advantage of us. So it should be to nobody’s surprise when that’s all we see.

But is that what we have to look forward to? A miserable life of constantly looking over our shoulders and questioning everyone’s intentions? If that is so, when at the very least stop complaining about all you find in your life is misery, because the reality of your life is that you’re actively seeking it out. But what if we go back to looking at the beauty in the world? Search for its magic? It’s still there waiting for your return. Why can’t you dance as care free today as you did as a child? Because someone might think you’re crazy? They probably call you crazy behind your back already!

There are two instances when men can catch a glimpse of this world; when they’re drunk or when they play with a child. (Please don’t playing with a child while drunk though…common sense, people.) Why? Because in either case, you find yourself with a valid excuse to be ridiculous, to act out your inner self as you can shed that thick jaded protective shell. This is when you can dance and sing and laugh and take risks; as you stop caring what others think of you and forget about your insecurities.

These are the times when the words “I love you” flow easily. These are the times when telling someone they are beautiful aren’t as scary. These are the moments when you are willing to smile and laugh and dance with anyone. These are the moments when you forget that the world is out to get you so, for an instant, you believe that you can do anything. These are the moments you walk down the street with a cocky grin as you have enough confidence to take on the world and all its scary monsters.

Before you dismiss this as having a wishful thinking way of life, were the reality of responsibilities is ignored, think again. Most people see everything that could go wrong in their lives yet secretly plan what they would do if things went right. What I am asking you is to see everything that could go right, yet secretly plan what to do in if anything goes wrong. Contingency and back-up plans should be just that; a back-up plans. 

The Secret To Life Is Behind The Cue Ball.

I learned to approach racing like a game of billiards. If you bash the ball too hard, you get nowhere. As you handle the cue properly, you drive with more finesse.

Juan Manuel Fangio

People will use chess as a reference to life, something I myself do every once in a while. But when I think about it, life is not that much like chess. You’re not always able to sit around and quietly consider your strategies while taking time between each move. Life is more like billiards, were you have to deal with a cluster of disorganized balls, where you can play by using force yet actually win with control and finesse.

As I have mentioned before, my grandfather owned a couple of bars and restaurants, so I spent part of my formative years in pool houses among other “colorful” spots. I probably learned to rack up a set by the same age most kids learned to rack up building blocks, but I digress. Ironically it was in these same places that I also learned about chess, because both games are more about strategy and reading your opponent than people realize.

So here is a short list of all the ways Billiard is like life:

1.      Where you look is where the ball will go.

Never lose focus of your objective. Every action you take should be an action to get you closer; every step should be about moving forward and setting up.

2.      Having talent is good, but practice makes you great.

Way too many people think that natural talent will give them an edge in life. They are wrong. It’s practice what will give you an edge. When you practice enough, your actions and your moves become second nature. At that time, you don’t have to think of your shots any more.

3.      Never show-off how good you are; till you have to show how good you are.

Never brag about your skill or show how good you really are at something simply for vanity. But when you actually have to put your skills to the test, don’t hold back.

4.      Don’t use more power than you can control.

You can tell who’s an inexperience player, as they will try to smash the balls in the hopes that if they miss, another will go down the pocket. Using more force than is needed will usually put you in a worse position than you started.

5.      Play to set up, until you can play to win.

Positioning is everything. Don’t play for the shot you have. It’s more important to set up in the right place, making your following shots easier, and your opponent’s shots harder. The best offense is actually a good defense. The easiest way to win is to not let the other guy shoot.

6.      Think while standing, not while shooting.

When it’s time to think, think. When it’s time to take action, take action. Hesitation and self-doubt during your actions is the easiest way to fail.

7.      When it means everything, play as if it means nothing.

Sprezzatura, that’s all I have to say about that.