Growing up, the only vibrations coming out of the radio in
our big Chevrolet van was Country music. Both the sad, classic ballads and the
upbeat conservative tunes helped to shape my early thoughts of what life is.
One definitive song that has formed my thinking more than any other is an old
Kenny Rogers song, The Gambler. I encourage
you to listen to it before you read the rest of this essay, for you, the reader
will get much more out of it. Every time I listen to the lyrics myself, the
song means a little bit more, forming my personal philosophy. Life is but a
game of Poker, you never know what’s going to happen.
One of the
most fundamental reasons that this philosophy rings true with me is how simply
it explains many of life’s questions. For example, there is one question that
has always throughout history split society, social inequality. The disparity of
the rich and the poor that even in modern times we cannot escape. A question
that is pervasive to all philosophers and theologians is easily answered by this
life outlook. Every person ever born has been “dealt” a hand in life. Not
everybody is dealt an ace.
Is this all
this idea has to offer? Is that all? Is there no way to better your lot in
life? Not many explanations can be this simple.
Anybody who
has ever played the game knows that you are never truly out. The game, like
life, is what you yourself make of it. As Kenny Rogers puts it, “every hand’s a
winner, and every hand’s a loser.” Basically what this means is that anybody
can pull themselves up by their bootstraps and make a life for themselves, and
those born with a silver spoon in their mouth aren’t guaranteed anything. A
very just, appealing way to look at this most basic of questions that always
confronts society.
Another
topic this song covers is integrity.
Integrity for me is how a person lives in accordance with his own
values. Through the song we are encouraged to be upright people; ironic because
this song is from the perspective of a gambler. “You’ve got to know when to
hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em...” As the second part of this line suggests,
you should know when you’re fighting a losing battle.
The previous
line means a lot to me in terms of principle. A person must have values that he
or she refuses to compromise. As the old saying goes, “those who won’t stand
for something will fall for anything.” At the same time we’re encouraged by the
lyrics to not be too rigid to refuse to change with the times.
A certain
type of poker, five card draw, allows the player to swap cards halfway through
the game. Unfavorable cards can be thrown out in hopes that the player can draw
a better hand. In life, a person is decides what their values are. Just as the
player decides to swap out bad cards for (hopefully) better one, people can
choose what’s important to them. “Knowing what to throw away, and knowing what
to keep.”
I believe
this line of the song means that people get to decide what is valuable to them,
no matter what “cards” they are initially dealt. This is important to my life
philosophy because sometimes we as people tend to value shallower, more
unfulfilling things than we ought to. For example, a common one is to worry
about driving a luxury car, living in a nice house, wearing the nicest clothes.
Instead, we should value things that will bring lasting happiness, such as
enjoying the little things in life, spending time with your kids instead of
working late. When you die, your things don’t seem to matter as much as the
people you have left behind.
The final
major point I have gotten from this refrain is the line, “the best you can hope
for is to die in your sleep.” At first it is a very morbid line, but means
more. Similar to the previous point, we spend all our lives worrying about
trivial things, midterm exams, reports, tax day (eventually), what others think
of us, that we often lose sight of the big picture. Enjoy what life has to
offer because is fleeting, people often pass away with no notice. Ultimately,
none of us will escape death. This is the only bad thing about being a human
being, eating from the tree of knowledge so to speak, we are aware of own
demise. Thus, the best way to go out really is to pass away in your sleep.
The reason I
love this song so much is it takes you into the life of some wandering old,
alcoholic gambler, yet you are able to see life through his eyes. Eyes that
have been places most have not. Through the song you get advice that has universal
truths. Through this simple song, you learn many simple, yet deep explanations
of life.
The main message for me is that at
the end of the day, life is too short to not enjoy. Treat it like a game,
because you will have highs and lows. Not everybody will win in the end. But,
as any traveler will tell you, it is not about the destination, it’s about the
journey along the way. Play the game with no regrets, because as Mr. Rogers
will tell you, “they’ll be time enough for counting when the dealings done.”
Copyright 2013
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