theory of relativity

April 17, 2008

i was thinking about what i wrote a few entries down. y’know, the part about waiting where i quoted an age-old aphorism: "good things come to those who wait."

then i got myself thinking. i realized that there are some situations where the more you wait, the more you let chances pass you by. you wait and wait and wait, but the world still turns without you. life goes on, people move on, and one day you may realize that you don’t know exactly what it is you’re still waiting for.

it’s difficult to really work with quotes, especially those that sound really nice and wise and reasonable, because as sure as the sun will rise, there will be an equally nice-sounding, wise and reasonable quote to contradict it. y’know, just like that bit about "waiting" i just mentioned.

for example, people say that:

"the pen is mightier than the sword," BUT "actions speak louder than words."

"the more the merrier," BUT "two’s company and three’s a crowd."

"birds of the same feather flock together," BUT "opposites attract."

"the clothes maketh the man," BUT "don’t judge a book by its cover."

does anyone still want me to go on? here’s several more for good measure:

"the road to hell is paved with good intentions," BUT "it’s the thought that counts"

"the devil is in the details," BUT "don’t sweat the small stuff"

"the early bird gets the worm," BUT "it’s the second mouse who gets the cheese."

"the end does not justify the means," BUT "all’s well that ends well."

i suppose this further strengthens my belief that there are no rules in life, only guidelines. except for death and paying taxes, nothing is certain. everything depends on the situation. everything is relative.

…i seem to be thinking a little bit too much lately…

stalemate

stalemate is a situation in chess where the player whose turn it is to move has no moves but is not in check. the player is not in check, so there’s no direct danger. however, every move you can make WILL put you in clear and present danger.

that’s gotta suck, right? it’s like there’s nothing wrong right now; but once you make a move, all hell is going to break lose. you can’t progress. you have to be satisfied with your current state. sala sa init, sala sa lamig. damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

at least if a player gets checkmated, there’s a clear winner and a clear loser. for you, it’s either of the two: you win or you lose. good or bad. yin or yang. black or white. at least you know where you stand and the situation is clear. being in a stalemate however is a gray area. nothing is clear. it’s like being in perpetual suspension. there is no resolution.

well… actually… in chess it’s easier: a stalemate is resolved as an automatic draw. in life though - when you’re in a stalemate - you either maintain the status quo and stagnate; or, you make a move and open pandora’s box.

there are no draws in life.

at least that’s how i see it.