## **LIFE IS A BULLY – MY LUDO GAME EXPERIENCE** https://s1.postimg.org/2wzqlzmdqn/real_bully_2.jpg Only a few do say life is good. Everyone has a story to tell about life, and a majority will always start this story with “how this life has dealt with me”. Our elders said; >“What an elder sees sitting, a child cannot see standing” What if I stood on my toes – Lol! If life is a bully, I don’t think it is to a few. I think it is to all. >No one ever tastes life without being tested by it. ***Hid in coin and dice is a big lesson to me. Take a look;*** ## **Life – Like a Coin – (Two-Sided)** ![coins sides (50k).jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWxCdMTERsjrLy573LuUMMcypSTLSYe2xeGQ3A6y1GanA/coins%20sides%20(50k).jpg) [credits](https://www.google.com/search?q=coin+sides+images+-+one+naira&client=firefox-b-ab&dcr=0&tbm=isch&imgil=HoA6lALZJc8CAM%253A%253BLU0l_-VaHjjy0M%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.naij.com%25252F1110055-features-nigerian-currency-notes-coins.html&source=iu&pf=m&fir=HoA6lALZJc8CAM%253A%252CLU0l_-VaHjjy0M%252C_&usg=___lzSSF7hpF-O2moEeaHW4KiNKSw%3D&biw=1366&bih=635#imgrc=BM8Ua-oxbcWWUM:) Life is like a coin –it is two sided; the good side and the bad side. Having a coin means having both sides of it. People sometimes in life do wish their coin could have only one side. The Impossible: The absolutely impossible fact is that a coin cannot have just a side. One can never have worse experiences all his life. Everyone is opportune to taste both. However, there equally is a positive side; choice. You can choose to maintain a preferred side while building capacity to manage the other. Since cannot offer a man a gift of one-side without a gift of the other-side, then it is very important to learn – to learn how to maximize the preferred and manage the other, the bad side of life’s offer. Because I have come to realize that the later appears to be imposed while the former may be optional to the recipient (Note that). “In life, you must choose your side of the coin yet be certain to manage the other” “The best part of life appears optional but the trying part appears compulsive and impelling” Such is Life! ## **Life – Like a Dice** ![dice image.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmafyxbcQLBf7TQFTMyyA7UDvR46EPfheycdbd8SFLji8c/dice%20image.jpg) [credits](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ebayimg.com%2Fthumbs%2Fimages%2Fg%2FGggAAOSwnGJWTcqG%2Fs-l225.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2FBoxes%2F37943%2Fi.html%3F_fsrp%3D1%26_sop%3D1&docid=h5hHPzZHHC7rzM&tbnid=A7Jt5loLQLd16M%3A&vet=10ahUKEwj-opa1xsfWAhVDLVAKHapbAPg4rAIQMwhdKFgwWA..i&w=169&h=225&client=firefox-b-ab&bih=635&biw=1366&q=African%20interest%20in%20ludo%20game&ved=0ahUKEwj-opa1xsfWAhVDLVAKHapbAPg4rAIQMwhdKFgwWA&iact=mrc&uact=8) Life is like a dice – all sides are equal in size but unequal in contents. Dice, unlike coin is more complex and demands multiplied sense of responsibility It Demands that You: ## Life Demands One way life bullies is that it demands from us. Refusal to offer life its demands constitutes its bullying. - You must Cast the Dice While it isn’t absolutely true that life is unfair to some and fair to others in this; in life, time and chance happened to everyone. If life is like a dice, there’s a demand that you cast your dice! - Deploy Good Strategy: learn to know - Keep on the Trials: keep practicing until you get perfect. No one is a failure until he sees himself as one. Unlike a gamble (one chance), life’s dice offers a point to accumulate. It is said that “opportunity lost cannot be regained” well, but I put to you that *“opportunity never ceases to avail but one can be done seeing it”.* The Sides of a dice constitute values of: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 as the highest. **Taking Responsibility** The basic demand is that you must cast. Expecting to earn a point without throwing your dice makes you a willing looser. **So Failure is a Choice!** ## My Ludo game Experience – the Dice Game ![Ludo-game board.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmXy6LiXy9WGpqGzk9gd6ro45r7cGWmWPR8rg8pM4cRA8U/Ludo-game%20board.jpg) [credits](https://www.google.com/search?q=African+interest+in+ludo+game&client=firefox-b-ab&dcr=0&tbm=isch&imgil=9Ns84aASD49mpM%253A%253BBKB5X4Na8_cMUM%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.hobotraveler.com%25252Flabels%25252Fghana.html&source=iu&pf=m&fir=9Ns84aASD49mpM%253A%252CBKB5X4Na8_cMUM%252C_&usg=__boa5oO6u9CRXpgATbcYEfSope8E%3D&biw=1366&bih=635#imgrc=9Ns84aASD49mpM:) Ludo game which is of Indian origin happens to be of one great interest to me, even to the African community. Here in Nigeria, is common with both adults and kids; keeps a family full of fun and united. But for me, playing Ludo had always led me to some mind-troubles growing up because I hate losing. Although I always loved the game, losing to anyone else could dwell in-depth for days, even into weeks. I tried to avoid playing Ludo, especially with those who could easily beat me in the game. Unfortunately I was surrounded with them all. My love for the game would always push me to playing it but when beaten over again, the hurt burns within. Well, I just couldn’t give up. No! It wasn’t near possible giving up on what I loved for the fear of losing. Then I also said from experience, “life is only fair to some; life is indeed a bully”. **Anything can be Useful – Just anything can be a tool** These are the tools I found from my bitter game experience; **The Love:** life may be a bully, life may seem unfair to some, but because this content is from @facts-profile, I must say to you that you must love it anyway. **Look at this;** During high school days, I used to hate some of my teachers and some basic subjects. My hate for Chemistry was on a high side. There is this subject teacher that usually comes to class with a very long whip (Koboko). Many of my mates never liked him anyway so I wasn’t the only one. Hmm! This man could flog for Africa – Lolz! I wasn’t brought up the street way, but I had learned it anyway! Once it was his subject hours, our Further Maths teacher will just appear like a spirit. Already I didn’t like him, so I learnt “the windows exit”. Along with other rascals who never liked book, we’ll jump out of the class through the window. My scores for these two subjects (Chemistry and Further Mathematics) were always recorded with red ink (that’s failure). But the questions that changed my orientation were these; Why do I fail while others pass? How can I appreciate these subjects? Do I have a future with them at all? These answers changed my perception; - You cannot fight a battle you have no interest in - You cannot win a war you didn’t fight - You cannot appreciate what you don’t love - You cannot listen to someone who don’t interest you - You cannot be imparted by a lecture you haven’t received - You cannot pass a subject without having interest on or loving it - You may have interest in a subject you have no love for, and - You may not practice any course that doesn’t capture your interest Wow! This is deep!! **So, what do I do!!!** - I had to learn to appreciate and love those courses; I had to start developing interest in them – building what was never there in the first place - The subject teacher might have been a bully, but all I had needed was the knowledge he was paid to pass on to us. Hence, we must “develop a sense of love for the sake of knowledge”. *“Only for purpose sake must you do the unusual”* Well, such is Life! **But there’s a funny part;** - My attitude towards these subjects never changed them anyway. Chemistry never changed to biology nor was Further Maths changed for History – Lolz - Secondly, my attitude towards the subject teacher never changed him either. My attitude never cost them their jobs neither did it cost them their salaries. So, why worry? But I think I played on my future instead. Your attitude towards life only changes your status quo. It either causes you to lose in it or to gain in life. ## **The Hate, the Hurt** My second lesson from the Ludo game was the mind troubles I faced each time I lost – it hurts… Such hate could make one sick. It got me confused and I felt like giving up. But you know what? Anything can be useful – just anything can be a tool! Since Love is so resourceful, How about Hate? So I turned to see what this mind troubles could offer. But you know, it never makes sense wanting anything good from hurts and hates, does it? **Here are stuffs I figure it out;** - The hurt brought some positive promptings - It posed a challenge to me - Brought motivation - Although I became afraid, scared and kind of intimidated, the fear caused me to isolate myself for private practices – learning in secret, casting dices as though I had to live by it - It made me a spectator and no more a participant for a while – hence learning more skills from other players, even my competitors - It boosted my determination, my courage and sense of responsibility. - I was always thinking the wining thoughts WOW! Then did I believe that anything can be a useful tool - even your hurt or hate **Believe me on this:** I never hated the player – the competitors who always won me, else I would not have learnt their skills too. I knew the right enemy – I hated loosing! But without giving up, even while getting defeated. I never hated the game for defeat sake. Well, storytelling and writing has never really been my thing. The last time I was invited for moonlight tales, everyone slept of – it was so boring for me (the storyteller) let alone the listeners. But I always knew I have a message in every story I may have to tell. My fingers are hurting already so I have to put an end to this – I told you I never liked book….Lolz! Take this from me: “if life has bullied you in anyway, make sure you revenge before you leave this earth. You can only do it here and nowhere else” **You can also learn from your own story** I have experienced just a few within my few years in life. I learn to pick lessons from my life’s experiences; my failures, my successes. Lessons learned have the capacity for building a better me. It is how we grow. *“Men are not born but children; children are not made but men”* A child is born into a transforming world, lessons of life makes him into the man he becomes, hence, the man you presently are now is a product of the information you have received and used. # **My other Resolves - I do not call life a bully anymore….** I do not call life a bully anymore so I don’t remain a victim – I now call life a fight so I remain a victor (since I now know I am a warrior who fight in victory) I don’t call life a bully so I don’t remain a victim, but I can call it a coin having known it’s two sided, hence determined against opposing side What you are consciously aware and prepared for, may hardly became an accident or say ‘a risk beyond your control’. There may always be a backdoor; an emergency exit point I do not call life a bully anymore so I don’t remain a looser. But I can call life a dice so I can live it with all sense of responsibility; - Live it strategically - With determination and courage - So I can see chances I can grow - So I can gain on either sides - So I can throw it without fear of defeat (After all there’s nothing to lose, it’s a win-win thing) - No empty sides on a dice, hence life cannot be completely empty. In conclusion, love life and live it well, and in good faith to overcome its daring challenges (the bullies). If indeed life is a bully, I choose to be a Bull too! **There is this prayer we use to say;** >“dear Lord please give me long life….” If life is indeed a bully, why pray for long life? Eventually you'll get bullies! **There is this prayer I later learned** >“dear Lord please give me a fulfilling life” But I also had a prayer upgrade of late, this may interest you as well, I would’ve loved to teach you to pray this way; >“May I understand early and clearly how to live a fulfilling life” You know why? - Already life is a gift, everybody has it. - It isn’t important the length of life as it is the fulfillment in it. Then, - How to attain fulfillment is the deal **…after all, Martin Luther King still lives on, Nelson Mandela still lives on……. **(** Don’t forget to mention at least one of your favorite hero(ine) in your comment whose impact still lingers**) *The marks we leave on the sands of time can keep us alive on earth for a thousand years! Life is for fighters and not quitters!* Okay, as I was saying; If you know **WHAT** life is, does it make you unique? Knowing **WHY** you live makes more sense (because you’ve known your life’s purpose), but knowing **HOW** to live it is the big deal because fulfillment is in a man living out his life’s purpose and not in *what or why*. However, you must start from the *“what and why”.* **My wish for you - Steemians** >“That you may understand early how to cast your dice (utilize steemit) to earn good values and reputation enough to impart and attract global interest even as a Minnow, a Rookie, a Dolphin or a whale” (What’s your response to this wish? wish me same *abeg*, we’re a family right?) …………SMILES……………. Thank you for reading my piece of starter-pack I celebrate you all I celebrate such patience to read through these lines If indeed life is a bully, I choose to be a Bull too! ![Life is a Bully I am a Bull.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWHK5oJYuTp3XGSsaxRd8eKv6Z7mdWKVmt9MVQAYo1ESX/Life%20is%20a%20Bully%20I%20am%20a%20Bull.jpg)