Prof. Burhnham's Student - The Life Game of Pool
Created | Updated Mar 8, 2005
Pool, like many other sports, can be associated to life as being a way of living it. However, there is something more in pool, the cue sport, than just having a mere association to life. Let us assume, for the sake of this argument, that we are the black ball, the eight-ball. As we know, the eight ball is considered to be the king of balls. Withing the rules of the game, it is the ball that is potted last, after either all solids or stripes have been potted by either player. The white balls, which hits all other balls to create various situations on the playing field, can be considered to be our actions. That leaves the stripes or the solids, which are ‘objects’ that determine the output of the balls we hit. These ‘objects’ represent random events that occur in our life, which are caused by the way the balls are hit. For example, if the white ball is hit by the opponent, and that ball in turn hits two others, only to pot the black ball, the person has lost the game. When looked at from the perspective of the game of life, certain causes that are not under our control (the opponent playing) can affect us, while there are still some causes (as when it is our turn to play) that can affect us as well. The random nature of the distribution of these causes, is what makes pool so much like life, or life so much like pool. In fact, the reflexive relationship between the two makes their link even stronger and more viable.
If the game is followed in chronological order, all the possible occurrences in the game can have a correlation to life. These correlations are not just probable, but turn out to be quite realistic at the end. At the outset of the game, all the balls are racked in a triangle, with the eight ball in the center of that triangle. This could represent our birth. The balls that surround the eight ball (symbolically us), are a set of events or factors that will affect our lives, but we do not know at what time or for what reason they affect us at any particular time or in any particular way. This represents the lack of control we have on our lives, although we do have some amount of control on some of these factors or events.
The sequence of events is also an aspect of the game, and of life, that we must take into consideration. We do not know how, when or why an event will occur because the cue ball might hit a striped ball, which in turn might hit a solid ball. In life, it represents ‘the chain of events’ which is a theory that can be well applied to various aspects of life. Every lie must be followed by another lie in order to keep it a lie. In the event of us potting a stripe or solids, which is the normal course of the game, we could understand that as being a way of taking control of our lives, by taking care of the factors that are affecting it. The fact that this is supposed to be the normal course of the game gives us an indication into God’s influence, for God has to exist in most lives if not all, for all people are not atheists. God intends for us to follow a particular path, that is potting all the balls. However, if we do not follow the intended path, we are correct, either with a ‘foul’ or with a ‘scratch’, in which case the cue ball enters the pocket. Another perspective is that there is a good and a bad involved. One would think that it would be appropriate that we all try and seek out the good in life. In the game, one play is chooses to play with solids, and the other with stripes, which means that they must pot all the balls of that category. The balls that have to be potted by a player, either stripes or solids, is deemed to be what is good, and the other is deemed to be what is bad. If the cue ball, which represents our actions, touches the ball of the opposite category first, the player is fouled, which is symbolic of God’s attempt to correct our paths.
The end game is by far the most symbolic aspect of the game of pool, when it is related to life. Once all the balls, either striped or solids, have been potted, the player must pot the black ball. This, if done, could represent a satisfying death and the end to a happy life, both of which have been philosophized as being goals of life by various philosophers. A premature death or incomplete life is indicated by the eight-ball being potted earlier on in the game, which also leads to a loss in the game.
Although the idea of such a connection might sound absurd or off the wall at first, giving it a deeper thought might lead one to recognize the parallels that seemingly exist between the simple game of pool and the complicated game of life. In a way, it seems to help us break down life into its most common contemporary parts. It helps us define life and understand the meaning of it, so that we may live it as best we can. It is possible that lovers of the game play it for this reason. It might help give them a feeling of having some control in their lives and actually being able to direct the way it runs. That would probably be more appropriate for the extreme enthusiasts or fanatics.
If the game is followed in chronological order, all the possible occurrences in the game can have a correlation to life. These correlations are not just probable, but turn out to be quite realistic at the end. At the outset of the game, all the balls are racked in a triangle, with the eight ball in the center of that triangle. This could represent our birth. The balls that surround the eight ball (symbolically us), are a set of events or factors that will affect our lives, but we do not know at what time or for what reason they affect us at any particular time or in any particular way. This represents the lack of control we have on our lives, although we do have some amount of control on some of these factors or events.
The sequence of events is also an aspect of the game, and of life, that we must take into consideration. We do not know how, when or why an event will occur because the cue ball might hit a striped ball, which in turn might hit a solid ball. In life, it represents ‘the chain of events’ which is a theory that can be well applied to various aspects of life. Every lie must be followed by another lie in order to keep it a lie. In the event of us potting a stripe or solids, which is the normal course of the game, we could understand that as being a way of taking control of our lives, by taking care of the factors that are affecting it. The fact that this is supposed to be the normal course of the game gives us an indication into God’s influence, for God has to exist in most lives if not all, for all people are not atheists. God intends for us to follow a particular path, that is potting all the balls. However, if we do not follow the intended path, we are correct, either with a ‘foul’ or with a ‘scratch’, in which case the cue ball enters the pocket. Another perspective is that there is a good and a bad involved. One would think that it would be appropriate that we all try and seek out the good in life. In the game, one play is chooses to play with solids, and the other with stripes, which means that they must pot all the balls of that category. The balls that have to be potted by a player, either stripes or solids, is deemed to be what is good, and the other is deemed to be what is bad. If the cue ball, which represents our actions, touches the ball of the opposite category first, the player is fouled, which is symbolic of God’s attempt to correct our paths.
The end game is by far the most symbolic aspect of the game of pool, when it is related to life. Once all the balls, either striped or solids, have been potted, the player must pot the black ball. This, if done, could represent a satisfying death and the end to a happy life, both of which have been philosophized as being goals of life by various philosophers. A premature death or incomplete life is indicated by the eight-ball being potted earlier on in the game, which also leads to a loss in the game.
Although the idea of such a connection might sound absurd or off the wall at first, giving it a deeper thought might lead one to recognize the parallels that seemingly exist between the simple game of pool and the complicated game of life. In a way, it seems to help us break down life into its most common contemporary parts. It helps us define life and understand the meaning of it, so that we may live it as best we can. It is possible that lovers of the game play it for this reason. It might help give them a feeling of having some control in their lives and actually being able to direct the way it runs. That would probably be more appropriate for the extreme enthusiasts or fanatics.
