Pong's Imitation of Life


To some people, pong is a simple and archaic game of balls and paddles, but it
has themes which should be integrated into everyday life.

The paddles move back and forth in the deep imitation of life, trying to catch
the ball which sometimes is impossible to reach.

The paddles win; the paddles lose, but the result is only sometimes final.

You are down one life, but usually have another one waiting for you, where
you can go back to where you started.

This luxury is not existent in real life.

You make your goals and you reach for them, but you cannot control everything
that guides the course of your life; the obstacles you have to endure change
and vary and you must adapt to the changes as the paddles adapt to the
movement of the ball.

Some people are very skillful at moving the paddles to change the course of
the ball, but they can never control where the ball starts off. They are still
adapting themselves to the fact that the ball is moving, and if they do not
catch the ball, they will fail.

Nobody can stop the ball, or control how fast the ball reaches its
destination.

It is only the preordained laws of physics that have true control of the ball.
Many people in life fool themselves into thinking that they are in control.
These people view everything as constant, and not only do they believe that
they can control the obstacles that they will encounter in life, but they also
believe that they can control people and every aspect of their relationships
with people.

Visualize a two person game of pong. That is the ultimate representation of
life, because you do not have the opportunity to start over with another
life. There is a balance of control, and each person has a chance of altering
the ball's course if only a little.

People who delude themselves about the others ability to control the ball are
soon met with defeat.

The same goes for real life. You must accept change and adapt to it if you are
to truly become a success.

Pong is a game that constantly displays the themes of control in everyday
interaction with other people as well as in life in general. We can change
our own destinies, but it would be fallacious to not believe that other forces
are in control.

THE END