Blog #19--Solitaire Imitates Life

Blog #19 --Solitaire Imitates Life, by Jack Tuttle http://dreamtime3.wix.com/jacktuttlebook

I have played a great deal of solitaire in my life. It is something I can fall back on to keep my mind active until something better comes along. Living apart from children my age started the trend, and it has continued to this day. When I studied for final exams during veterinary school, I would play solitaire during breaks. I even did a study to see whether one could do better going through the cards in the hand one at a time or three at a time. By the way, the latter produced better results.

It is my nature that, when I learn something new, I immediately think of ways to teach it to others. If I am excited about a new discovery, perhaps others will be also. However, upon reflection I realized my desire to write a book on winning at solitaire was a true pipe dream. After all, no one would read it. I doubt I would even read it if I saw it on a bookstore shelf.

I’ve finally given up on the book idea, but I’d like to share how solitaire mimics life. Perhaps it can serve as an example for us, if we are willing to transfer our new knowledge to similar situations. I used solitaire to discuss a possible past life mechanism in my book “It’s a Secret, So Pass It On: a Toolbox For Life,” but it can teach us much more than that.

If one deals a deck of 52 playing cards into seven piles, with the one on the far left having only one card face up, the second from the left having one down and one up, and the rest having an increasing number of cards face down, each covered by one face up. Thus, the pile of cards on the far right has six cards downturned, covered by one upturned card. If one goes through the remaining 24 cards three at a time to allow multiple times through the deck, there is a possibility of victory.

The difficulty comes from needing to turn over the hidden cards so one can create four new piles of cards, starting with the four aces and advancing in increasing number until all 13 cards of each suit are played on top of each other. The number sequence on the new piles is in increasing order, and they are all the same suit. The seven dealt piles are used as a means of making cards available for play on the four new piles. Cards with numbers of decreasing order are used to cover the ones showing in the seven piles. The colors of the cards must alternate on the seven original piles.

Winning is fairly rare, but most players are successful if they can play a portion of the cards on top of any aces played. However scarce wins tend to be, one can increase the chance of playing all 52 cards by planning long-term for victory. Many solitaire players place cards on the ace piles with no thought to long-term ramifications. Thus, filling up one pile may help the player feel better, but it decreases the chance of winning.

To win at solitaire, one benefits by staying in balance between the four suits and between the cards on the seven piles and the remaining cards in the hand. Thus, one doesn’t play the four of spades on top until the other three aces have at least two cards showing. More than two cards difference may be necessary as an act of desperation at the end of the game, but making sure the four piles of cards increase at similar rates is most beneficial.

What we are describing is Nature’s balance. Nature requires a balance between opposing forces. Imbalances can produce destruction at their worst. But when everything is operating efficiently, with similar numbers of cards being played both from the hand and the piles on the table, it feels similar to an alternating electrical current. Or, an automobile engine that is so finely tuned it seems to purr like a kitten when running. If anyone remembers the early video game called “Breakout,” a more complicated version of “Pong,” cards advancing simultaneously on all four piles begins to feel like that game when success is at hand. Everything falls into place in a speedy manner.

The point is, like solitaire, life requires balance. If we are too narrow in our focus and favor only a small portion of Nature while rejecting the rest, we are guaranteeing we cannot reach our ultimate goals. If we favor only part of our own natures, we are prone to physical and mental illnesses and disabilities. And we create enemies as we try to separate from those we don’t respect.

Solitaire has many similarities to life; that is probably why it is a fairly popular game. We can learn a great deal about ourselves and our universe by observing the game while we play it. Sure, we can use it as mindless escapism if that is all we want from it. But the game represents much more for those of us who are willing to think about it and then apply lessons learned to our own lives.

Regardless how well we play the game, or how successful we are in our individual lives, we are all still dependent upon the hand dealt us. We have no control at all over that. All we can do is make the best of our situations by maximizing our chances of finding balance, peace and happiness.

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