Lessons from the 64 squares...
"If you're not perfectly conscious of yourself, that self can be tyrannical...you have to go beyond yourself with a 'third eye' - self-awareness - because the one thing you cannot flee is yourself."- Gao Xingjian
In chess, playing as black is much different than playing as white. Each has its own openings and defenses, its own strengths and weaknesses and its own traps and pitfalls. Attempting to play as black using a white offense is more than tricky, it's counterproductive and usually leads to a quick demise for black. Similarly, playing as white using black tactics is not the best way to secure a victory.
Many of us like to go against the grain, not only to find a "new" way, but to prove to the naysayers that we can. But doing so with no sense of who you are is not courageous...it is suicide. There is great strength, wisdom and honor in knowing who we are, our strengths, weaknesses, positives and negatives. In knowing ourselves, we can learn how to use those things within us for our greatest benefit. Much like learning the Philador or Sicilian Defense, learning who we are is no easy task. But once you do, you will become a force to reckon with. Remember: the greatest battle you will ever fight is the one within yourself. #NOTG #ChessInRealLife #TemetNosce #ThePowerWithin