Life lessons from Ludo

How an ancient Indian game is making a comeback this quarantine season. For those who have never played this game do check out this link for rules : https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/www.wikihow.com/Play-Ludo%3famp=1

1. Patience is a virtue : We live in a culture of instant gratification, where even love resides just a few clicks and swipes away. Ludo forces you to unlearn everything. You must wait for the elusive 6 on the dice before you can even begin to use your tactics in the board-game. Anytime mid-game you can find all your active counters inactive until you get a 6. Unfortunately in a virtual ludo game you cant flip the board in anger either.
2. Mentally Prepare Yourself for the Worst: Don’t put all your hopes on one counter. It causes undue stress. Play your game imagining that everything will go against what you have planned. It helps a lot. In life also, if you focus too hard on achieving something, and it fails, don’t lose heart. Infact its even better if you mentally prepare yourself for the worst that can happen. You will come out stronger. Be prepared for every player to hurt you in the game so that when it eventually happens, you don’t take it to your heart.
3. Revenge hurts both Players: if the focus of your game to avenge everytime somebody knocks your counter off the game, you wouldn’t go far. Focus on moving most of your counters forward. Don’t forget that the purpose of the game is to ensure your counters reach home. There are no bonus points for knocking off other players’ counters. In life too, if somebody harms you, wait for Karma to take care of it instead of turning your creative energies into destructive ones. Focus on growing yourself and constantly moving forward instead of blocking others from achieving their goals.
4. This game is never over until you reach home : You may be the first player to put three counters in the safe zone but your last counter gets knocked off multiples times since it becomes the focus of everyones’ ire. What’s even worse is waiting for a number on the dice to end the game while another player hops, skips and jumps across the board with double sixes and fives to end the game before you. Always stay alert, never slack off in life either. You never know when life might take a suprising turn and throw you off balance.
5. Striking the balance between safe and unsafe zones : Imagine life to be a ludo game. The four coins represent family, career, friendship and health. You can rarely achieve perfection in all four aspects. At any time in your life, you are gambling one of the four at the cost of another. But never should you put two of these things at risk. Similarly in ludo never put more than one counter in an unsafe zone. Take your chances, but for one counter at a time
6. Don’t take it too seriously : Life is also like a game of Ludo. You will win a few times and lose a few times. But chill and relax, don’t take it so seriously. We all are in this together. Don’t lose your joie de vivre. After all what’s the fun in living then?