Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will. – Jawaharlal Nehru
What have you been dealt? How will you play it?
What does that mean?
This is an interesting quote, in that it attempts to place both determinism and free will in play simultaneously. In this case, I would estimate that what he is calling determinism isn’t based on the classical definition but more closely on the Compatabilism version. See Free Will and Determinism for more information.
In my understanding of the quote, those things that are behind us, all that has already happened, that is Determinism (as well as being already determined). What we choose to do going forward, that is Free Will. While the future may have some Determinism to it, you still have some room to maneuver. I hope that makes some practical sense, even if it’s slightly sloppy for philosophical purists.
Why is playing the hand you’re dealt important?
Seriously, what other hand are you going to play? Some get dealt a great hand. Others take an average or even poor hand, and work it into a winner. Still others will squander a great hand. If you are reading this, you have access to the internet, and have a reasonable education. Well played!
Anyone familiar with cards knows the luck is in the cards, the skill is in the player. Learning the game is part of playing well. But you only have the cards you have. Sometimes you just have to work through this hand and hope the next hand is better, as all things go through cycles. But you must do what you can with what you have at the time.
Where can I apply this in my life?
So how does one become skilled in the playing of cards? I believe it starts with a good attitude. Then you need to pay attention. Each card game is different, and the players change. We haven’t even gotten to regional variations or even ‘house rules,’ where things are a little different because of *where* you are playing.
You can get better by practicing. You can get better by observing what good players do or don’t do, and in what circumstances. You can get better by reading books by good players. You can get better by understanding the odds and probabilities of the game. You can get better by practicing some more.
While all of these apply directly to card games, they apply to life as well. Whatever you are trying to do, someone has done something similar before. Find that person, or a book about that person, and learn from their triumphs and from their mistakes. As kids, we learn from others (hopefully good examples of what to do), and imitate them.
How do you get better at something? Some people like to learn by doing, others prefer a mentor, or at least a good book. Sometimes, it depends on your comfort level, and the risk involved in trying something. Before I was ready to skydive, it took a former military dive master to talk me into it.
We all have our hands to play. What is in yours at the moment? What are your high cards, and your low cards? What do you have for structure (runs, straights, flushes, pairs, etc)? Most importantly, what is your next play? Do you know what you’re going to do with that hand?
Some people spend more time planning than playing, and others just play whatever comes to mind with little thought. As usual, I belive the best path is somewhere between these extremes. There is a place for planning, and there is a place for intuition or inspiration.
What can you do to maximize your ‘hand’ at home? At work? With your friends? With your family? In other social organizations? For me, the more interesting question is what can you do to help others with your hand. I don’t mean letting someone else win, but can you mentor them? Help them understand, or play their cards better?
Cards is not the best analogy for life, in my opinion. The wagers are fixed, and for someone to win, the others must lose. I don’t believe life is a zero sum game, or the wealthiest people in the history of the world would have been the first ones to call themselves human, because we’ve been subdividing the spoils ever since.
I believe it is both possible, ethical, and practical to help others learn how to play the game better. We are rarely in direct competition with anyone (or put differently, there are far more people we do not compete with than those with which we do compete).
Play, practice, learn. Get better, and help others get better. We can all win at the game of life, if we play our hands right. We have at least that much free will. Well, at least I think I do, how about you?
From: Twitter, @AR_Foundation
confirmed at : http://quotationsbook.com/quote/41392/
Photo by ColleenSullivan93
This quote by Nehru is totally misleading. You are not dealt a hand. You are the hand that is dealt. There is nothing in you (in the beginning) other than the hand that is dealt. There is no “how you play the cards”, because there is no “you” other than the “hand”. Therefore, how you will play the cards is also all dependent on what is delivered. The quote seem to give a feeling like you have a free will, such that you decide how you do with the hand, but that is total nonsense, since there nothing “you” can do, other than what the “hand that is delivered” will do.
Thanks for stopping by, and for sharing your point of view on this quote.
To some extent, I agree with you. Your genes are dealt at birth, as is the family you are born into. Some are healthy, others are not. Some have rich families, others have poor families.
However, once you are old enough to make your own choices, you start to learn to play your hand. Some rich kids end up poor, and others start out poor and end up rich.
Most non-trivial card games allow you to adjust your hand, whether it’s taking additional cards, or trading cards, you can (again, in most card games) change, modify, or alter the hand you are dealt. This is how you play your hand, and you get to make the choices. What cards come to you as the game goes on, that’s still random. But if you know when to hold, and when to fold, you are playing your hand to the best of your ability.
If you are arguing against the concept of free will, I will simply have to disagree with you on that point, and hope we part friends.
Very interesting. Thank you for that.
Thanks for stopping by, and for leaving a comment.