What the Game of Snakes and Ladders Teaches Us About Life
Snakes and Ladders is one of the most popularly played games in the world. Well-loved by children across cultures, it is a game that is also a favorite among many adults. The game also has a variant called ‘Chutes and Ladders,’ which is just as popular. This is the one of the oldest game that everyone know about this game.
Snakes and Ladders is a game well known for its simplicity and fun, and it is no doubt a favorite among families, with people who have played it in their childhood days playing it well into adulthood.
However simple as the game may seem, Snakes and Ladders has immense profundity and plenty of lessons to teach. Rich in deep meaning, there is a lot one can learn about life by playing Snakes and Ladders. This blog looks at some of the lessons Snakes and Ladders can teach us about life.
How Ladder Game Teach us About Life
1. The Duality of Life
One of the most notable lessons that Snakes and Ladders can teach is the duality of life. As one progresses, one is faced with both triumph and adversity, ups and downs, day and night, excitement and boredom, right and wrong, good and bad, etc. Just as the ladders represent successes and the snakes represent setbacks, they also signify the kinds of people one meets in life, like those who are helpful and those who harm. The snakes and the ladders are a perfect representation of the two sides of the experience in the game and along the journey of life. It teaches people to accept the good and the bad and handle both experiences well at every stage.
2. Understanding Virtue and Vice
Snakes and Ladders is a game that can teach people the importance of understanding what is good and what is evil. The ladders represent virtues such as kindness, generosity, faith, and humility, while the snakes represent vices such as spite, anger, revenge, and hatred. Just as one gets ahead in life, one learns that there is plenty of good in the world and a corresponding amount of wrong. The game is also a reminder to follow the path of righteousness and truth and not fall prey to the temptations of lust and greed.
3. Humility and Perseverance
Few games convey the importance of humility the way Snakes and Ladders do. It reminds people that success and failure are not permanent and that one should be grateful for what one has. Just as someone suddenly becomes extremely lucky, they can lose it just as quickly. The game emphasizes the need always to stay humble, and humility plays a massive role in getting ahead. Equally important is the need to keep persevering no matter the challenges one faces.
4. Learning to Accept the Outcome
In games, just as in life, there will be wins and losses. Not every day is a good day, just like it cannot always be sunny. However, one must never forget that life is a mix of the pleasant and the unpleasant and that even the bad times only last for a while. Accepting both victories and defeat with the same grace is the hallmark of true sportsmanship, and this is an attitude that everyone must cultivate to lead a balanced and contented life.
5. Patience and Goal Orientation
In Snakes and Ladders, there are squares marked from 0 to 100. 0 represents one’s starting point, and 100 represents one’s destination. The game is a perfect analogy for the necessity to be patient and to have a goal in life. Just as good fortune can come one’s way, giving someone a much-needed push in the right direction, mishaps can also occur, throwing off a person’s progress entirely. In such a situation, one must remain patient, keep one’s eye on the goal and keep going no matter what. The game encourages people to push themselves to always do better because patience bears sweet fruit, according to an age-old adage.
6. Maintaining One’s Focus
Just as setting a goal in life is essential, it is equally important to maintain sight of the goal one has set out to achieve. Snakes and Ladders is a game centered around reaching a destination, and this premise is an exact reflection of life. Simply going through life without a goal is like playing Snakes and Ladders without knowing that the game’s objective is to reach the ‘100’ square. The game drives home the point of focusing on reaching the goal while avoiding snakes and taking advantage of ladders along the way.
7. Always Keep Moving
In life, it is never going to be smooth sailing. It is not about the number of successes (ladders) or failures (snakes) one encounters in life’s journey but the attitude with which one deals with both. One’s success in Snakes and Ladders depends on the progress one makes, regardless of whether one gets a boost or suffers a setback. The core message is to keep moving no matter what. Learning from mistakes and picking oneself up after every fall are habits that will hold one in good stead in the game and life.
These are just some of the lessons one can learn from Snakes and Ladders. A timeless classic steeped in deep meaning, Snakes and Ladders is truly a game that can help one have a healthy perspective on life.
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