Sports analogy is often used to explain a lot of things connected to almost every human endeavor or as a vehicle to inspire and encourage. This could be different.
What if life were a basketball game? Well, it will have four quarters in which to play it all out. There will be a basketball court. There will be referees and spectators. There will be a cheering section but there will also be critics and hecklers. There will be the players, of course.
Now, let's just simply make the game, the entire game, all about one life. Mine, yours and everyone else with an individual life playing the game of basketball.
First, what we find is that for everybody, there will be exactly four quarters of 12 minutes each. Time is the same for everyone. 60 seconds per minute. In theory, that is. Later we find out as we've suspected all along that life is farthest away from being theoretical. But there will be time outs, free throws, fouls, even ejections, etc. Those are parts of life and, like in basketball, there is no predicting when those will occur.
But, immediately we see the following. Some will get to play at different basketball courts. It could be open air, covered, though not all are air-conditioned. Some will get to play in packed dusty earth, others on pavements, the lucky ones on parquet floors inside temperature- controlled gymnasiums. Spectators will vary, from the unruly to those who cheer with loud vigor even when we don't play that well.
That is life. Real life. We don't get to pick the basketball courts to play in because that is determined by what neighborhood or environment we were born into. Spectators, early on, are those from that same neighborhood. We will be cheered by those closest to us. We learn the game from how it is played early on. We do not begin our lives choosing what basketball courts we play in. That is the luck of the draw. At once we ask, "But do we get a chance to draw our own luck?" Aha! And there we begin to examine what this basketball game called life is about.
We are allowed to warm up before the game. How well is how warmly we are loved by those who cared for us in our infancy. Again, warm ups are fine but they do not guarantee a victory later on. It is just a luck of the draw. There are plenty of opportunities to draw our own luck or to mess it up. The pre-game period of the basketball of life is about how we are reared when we can't do very much yet. It is the early education we get. It is learning and learning from mistakes, getting bruised, getting early childhood maladies of measles and mumps, scraped knees, sprains and even fractures. The spectators will not see much of the warm up time, except by those who care and cheer for us. The first quarter is early. It is not likely to determine the entire game. Hardly. But, scores are made and earned.
The first quarter is getting through kindergarten, first grades through much of elementary. We scored with good habits, hence good grades, key fundamentals, but we get free throws as well because we grow up in a family that can freely provide for us. For much of the world, there are no free throws at all. Each child must fend and defend in a cruel environment of poverty-ravaged or war-torn countries. Instead they get foul penalties of malnutrition, poor health care and unsafe neighborhoods. But, we all know that most children do get to make it through the first quarter. Forgettable first quarters for most and only slightly significant for some, but could be crucial for others. That is the quarter too when much of the crowd are finding their seats, talking and taking care of their drinks and popcorn and peanuts. They are hardly paying attention to you. Your parents and family could be your only biggest fans.
The second quarter begins to heat up. It is high school and early college for some and work for others who can't go beyond the 10th grade or elected not to. This is when passions are lit, heart throbs come and go, and competition begin to be live and real. Again, others get free throws. Some will get the shots they like, some get easy lay ups and others fight for it. A couple of team mates may clear a passing lane for you and you do the same in return. Sadly some will get nothing but fouls or get their shots blocked. In other words, some do well with their grades, others struggle with discipline, relationships, and worse, get with the wrong friends or get caught up in drugs and crime. The second quarter shapes how the game progresses before the first half is over. In a few cases, some may never get to play in the second half at all. They committed way too many fouls. Worse, is that others got injured. But anyone can get injured in any of the quarters. Some get thrown out of the game.
Half time is an early assessment period. A breather to take stock of what went wrong in the first half. It is time to make adjustments, make corrections where needed and reinforce the things that worked. This could be re-assessing a major, a switch in career choice, review career path and make changes. It will also mean a fresh look at relationships, financial plans and major decisions to settle down, change priorities, etc. Half time is all about thinking things through before the third quarter begins.
The third quarter is critical. Actions are going to be hectic because one should not wait for the 4th quarter to make changes or shape how the game will end. This is where critical 3-point shots should be made, every free throw productive, fatigue held in check and defenses tight. This is where families could begin, rearing your own children, sending them to schools, and it is important to make sure there is adequate savings to make it last beyond a career. It is in fact in the third quarter that crucial decisions are made. Unlike in regular basketball we cannot expect the basketball of life to be won with a squeaker of a last jump shot, a lay up or a free throw inside of five seconds to the final buzzer. In real life, you will have all but indulged your mid-life crisis, men and women both have become comfortable with their peers, had gotten over wrinkles and grey hair, pot bellies and sagging chins. But it is time to get serious with regular exercise, check ups and preparations for the fourth quarter. But the fourth quarter will be different from the actual game of basketball.
The fourth quarter should be the crowning moment, far exceeding whatever we've accomplished during the last three combined. Whatever we've attained by rank or positions are now likely immaterial, except perhaps for what material things we've accumulated. We begun as civilians. We are all back to being civilians again. This last quarter is the beginning of equalization as far as rank and file, bosses, generals and top executives are concerned. Equalization, the final episode of the entire game is, of course, the exit we all have to do and are expected to make, without exception. Not to the shower rooms and final pep talk from the coach before going back to the court, but a final exit from the gymnasium of life. We were all equals then as we entered the gymnasium of life and we will all be equals at the exit.
But wait! Not so fast because there is much to do in the fourth quarter of our lives. Actually, this is all what we've lived for. It is where we look at the tally sheet of the sums of every decision we made. We have become the composite of all the choices we picked. Laid out in the scoreboard of life are all the stats. How many shots we made, defensive moves we did, how well did we do the free throws, how many fouls we committed, how many assists were credited to us are all in there. Those are in essence what we did to make other people's lives better, the pass we did to change somebody's life, the lane we created so someone or a family is able to cope with the harshness of their conditions, the assists we gave to those who struggled, and so on and on. Those are the stats of the basketball game of life that count.
But there is still much to do. The fourth quarter is where we get to do the things we love to do. And the things we do should not necessarily be the grandeur of travel, the luxury of fine dining, or opportunities to show off our portfolio of stocks and bonds. Those are minor statistics that are easily dimmed by volunteer work to serve others who need the most crucial assists we can ever make. The glossy photos of foreign travel we did or of resorts we've been to, will pale in comparison to those who only have simple hobbies or local recreations to give them pleasure.
The fourth quarter is what the following generations behind ours can look up to so that the examples of how we played the game may linger long enough for them to pattern their shots at life.
The first three quarters of our lives may shape what comes next but we ought to make the most of the fourth quarter.
Remember that just getting to the fourth quarter is a privilege others may never get to play.
Half time is an early assessment period. A breather to take stock of what went wrong in the first half. It is time to make adjustments, make corrections where needed and reinforce the things that worked. This could be re-assessing a major, a switch in career choice, review career path and make changes. It will also mean a fresh look at relationships, financial plans and major decisions to settle down, change priorities, etc. Half time is all about thinking things through before the third quarter begins.
The third quarter is critical. Actions are going to be hectic because one should not wait for the 4th quarter to make changes or shape how the game will end. This is where critical 3-point shots should be made, every free throw productive, fatigue held in check and defenses tight. This is where families could begin, rearing your own children, sending them to schools, and it is important to make sure there is adequate savings to make it last beyond a career. It is in fact in the third quarter that crucial decisions are made. Unlike in regular basketball we cannot expect the basketball of life to be won with a squeaker of a last jump shot, a lay up or a free throw inside of five seconds to the final buzzer. In real life, you will have all but indulged your mid-life crisis, men and women both have become comfortable with their peers, had gotten over wrinkles and grey hair, pot bellies and sagging chins. But it is time to get serious with regular exercise, check ups and preparations for the fourth quarter. But the fourth quarter will be different from the actual game of basketball.
The fourth quarter should be the crowning moment, far exceeding whatever we've accomplished during the last three combined. Whatever we've attained by rank or positions are now likely immaterial, except perhaps for what material things we've accumulated. We begun as civilians. We are all back to being civilians again. This last quarter is the beginning of equalization as far as rank and file, bosses, generals and top executives are concerned. Equalization, the final episode of the entire game is, of course, the exit we all have to do and are expected to make, without exception. Not to the shower rooms and final pep talk from the coach before going back to the court, but a final exit from the gymnasium of life. We were all equals then as we entered the gymnasium of life and we will all be equals at the exit.
But wait! Not so fast because there is much to do in the fourth quarter of our lives. Actually, this is all what we've lived for. It is where we look at the tally sheet of the sums of every decision we made. We have become the composite of all the choices we picked. Laid out in the scoreboard of life are all the stats. How many shots we made, defensive moves we did, how well did we do the free throws, how many fouls we committed, how many assists were credited to us are all in there. Those are in essence what we did to make other people's lives better, the pass we did to change somebody's life, the lane we created so someone or a family is able to cope with the harshness of their conditions, the assists we gave to those who struggled, and so on and on. Those are the stats of the basketball game of life that count.
But there is still much to do. The fourth quarter is where we get to do the things we love to do. And the things we do should not necessarily be the grandeur of travel, the luxury of fine dining, or opportunities to show off our portfolio of stocks and bonds. Those are minor statistics that are easily dimmed by volunteer work to serve others who need the most crucial assists we can ever make. The glossy photos of foreign travel we did or of resorts we've been to, will pale in comparison to those who only have simple hobbies or local recreations to give them pleasure.
The fourth quarter is what the following generations behind ours can look up to so that the examples of how we played the game may linger long enough for them to pattern their shots at life.
The first three quarters of our lives may shape what comes next but we ought to make the most of the fourth quarter.
Remember that just getting to the fourth quarter is a privilege others may never get to play.
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