There’s a term in chess called zugzwang. It’s a point where the move you make puts you at a disadvantage. This may be a decisive action, with you seeing a better outcome in the future because of that move. But in many cases it’s the point in the game where you realize that no matter what you do or what move you make you will lose your king. That’s when you have to make a decision. Do you forfeit the game to avoid the pain of losing or do you keep playing and hope that you may be able to find some way to win?
Life is like a game of chess. We see several choices ahead of us, and we make our move based on the situation that we perceive to have the best possible outcome. But the player on the other side of the board, be it an actual human or some outside force, may make an unexpected move. And suddenly we’re faced with a potential outcome we didn’t see coming.
At some point in each of our lives, we reach zugzwang. We think that every possible choice we could make will put us in a terrible position. We think that there’s no winning anymore; all we see is how much we’re going to lose. In those moments, we have to ask ourselves: Do we surrender? Or do we keep playing in the hope that we will somehow be able to make it out of that situation on top?
Some people choose to surrender. They give up on the game, on the possibility of better days, and on life itself. And that’s why I’m writing this now. If you’re thinking about quitting the game, I’m here to tell you that zugzwang isn’t necessarily the end. You still have moves left to make, even if you can’t see them right now. So please, don’t give up because the road ahead seems impossible. Don’t give up because you think you won’t win. You have no idea what victories you’ll win in the future if you stop playing in the present.
So keep playing.
Always keep playing.
Monica
Thank you.
bellla
Thank you for sharing. It will help lots of people.
Sending love and prayers your way. Very proud of you
God bless
michelle
What if you have been depressed for over 20 years , since the suicide of your mom, but you fought, struggled, stuffed it down , because you had a child to raise all alone, and then that precious child, the only unconditional love you have ever known, drowns in a horrific accident. now completely all alone- tell me what hope is there? tell me the point of going on. tell me what other side is there worth the effort……….
TWLOHA
Michelle,
Our hearts are infinitely heavy to hear that you’ve dealt with so much, but we are so honored that you chose us to share this part of your story with. Please know that you are absolutely not alone, and that we believe that even in our hardest times, hope is a brilliant light. To share this with us shows immense strength and bravery. We are with you. There is hope. We’d love to offer you some encouragement and discuss this further. Please email us at [email protected]
Amy
Thank you so mucj for this.
On some days every second feels like I have to make a move and don´t know if I will win or lose.
Hope is hard to find. But your words are full of hope.
So thank you!
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kevin
can I play a game of chess
kevin
is it going to be easy
Valeria
i love this, thx