I was going to come on here and maybe write something clever, or something from a different angle. Then I saw the responses that were already here. A few fun sn

I was going to come on here and maybe write something clever, or something from a different angle. Then I saw the responses that were already here. A few fun snarks, and the rest? Lots of criticism, and some outright ridicule. So much for not challenging yourself. Just before my 30s, I was getting knee deep in learning about strategic thinking. The art of making decisions in the unknown. All about Sun Tzu, Musashi, Col. John Boyd. Maneuver warfare. Stacking things up, eliminating the opponent's means to win ... and the will to win. Tried to apply it in Go, and in my martial arts. Sometime in my early 30s, I found myself in the middle of a spiritual quest. The things that this guy is saying were one of the many themes that I had learned during that journey. The metaphor that clicked for me wasn't tetris, it was mountain climbing. The only person you are challenging is yourself. I had noticed everything this author had said -- inventing difficulties to feel that sense of victory. I learned the difference between winning by prevailing and winning by making the other guy lose. And yeah, in the end, you play to play. There's nothing wrong with voluntarily stepping up to greater challenges. However, it's one thing to do that with eyes clear and mind open, and another to do it to make it seem as if you were fighting some big monster, when ... that's not the case. I don't play too many games these days. My meditation practices are far more demanding and challenging than most games.