something else

all i write these days are lazy little book reviews, it seems. i've got to fill the next few weeks with more than that, so here we go.

chess and the economy.

maybe it's all my dad's ranting on the bondage of society and the illusion of true self-reliance, maybe it's because i just sold my car, but anyway i've been thinking a lot about business and selling things. it seems turning a profit is so close to taking advantage of your neighbor. you know what they need, what they don't have, and you're charging money for it. you're making a living off whatever it is another person can't do for themselves. is that always a fair trade? is it always a willing compromise? i'm sure it must have started out that way. i'll raise the cows while you tend the sheep and we can let joe down the road grind the wheat. that way we all have something to do.

in chess there is almost always a winner and a loser. there's always a stronger player who can take advantage of the shortsightedness of his opponent. there's dad who knows more tricks than all of us put together, who takes his time and thinks about every possibility, who simply will not be beaten. it's perfectly fair that he always wins at chess. none of the rest of us have as much practice.

so today my family wants to make a living. but there are so many things we can't do for ourselves. there is no room in our yard to grow pumpkins or keep chickens, so we must pay other people to do these things for us. perhaps this is easier, but it's nowhere near as fun.

chess has a lot of rules. those pieces can only move so far, or in a certain way. the chessboard is only so big. there are many choices to be made. tradeoffs. if i get a chance i'm pretty sure i'll take your queen even if that pawn behind her will take my knight next move. if i can't save my last bishop i might check your king with anything i possibly can, just to buy myself more time. it's all about anticipating consequences. playing everything out in your head before you even touch the first piece.

dad can see further ahead than we can because he's played more chess matches than we have. but if we knocked down our neighbor's fence and built a chicken coop out of it, there would be some problems. if we stopped cashing those paychecks and ran away to live in the mountains, would we survive, without this spacious house or its well-stocked pantry?

you have to take what you can, i guess, and pay someone else to manage the things you aren't able to at the moment. it's a trade. a stalemate.