Tempest in a Teapot

The Story of Redemption and the Violent Storm in the Teapot It Caused

Truths come in many forms and disguises. And we must be ready for them, otherwise we would miss them completely, especially if we are not too smart and yet think we are intelligent, wise, and clever. Just because we parrot some words of Buddha (and yet giving no due acknowledgement) that does not necessarily mean we fully understand them. We must really live those words. Our hearts and our minds must be ready for them. 

A person's level of understanding reflects in how he reacts to truths and words of wisdom. There was a third reaction to my story about redemption. It came from a lady (most of my friends are of the fair sex). She is a new friend, but she has read my blog and she understands what she has read. She has a mind and a heart for my words. She is no fool, like the other two who have fragile egos born out of weak intellects, small minds, constricted hearts, and inferiority complexes due to being nobodies all their long, lonely, unhappy lives. But enough about fools who think they are somebodies, about cowards who think they are brave, about ignoramuses who think they are full of wisdom. My patience and my kindness with them have limits. Those limits have been exhausted. I cannot save them anymore. They must save themselves. 

I wrote "A Story of Redemption" because the young Korean-American man's life was very interesting and almost a tragedy, just like mine almost was a tragedy more than 40 years ago. He was saved by a very good "Global Performance Coach". I was saved by my love for my mother. I couldn't bring myself to hurting her emotionally. One must live for something or somebody bigger than oneself, otherwise one's life would be common, ordinary, and animal-like. Love makes one become bigger and stronger. When I read about the young man's life, I was very affected. I recognized his awesome gifts and talents. I could see his intelligence in his strikingly handsome, gorgeous face. I am no slouch myself in the departments of intelligence and looks, but unlike some fools, I readily acknowledge superiority in others. I am perfectly comfortable with myself. I have some gifts and many, many foibles. I am who I am. I try to be the best who I can be within the confines of my limitations. With regard to poker, I am a small potato. I have been a small winner, year after year. That's all I can be. Many of my friends have moved on and become millionaires. stacking their money in safe deposit boxes (to avoid paying taxes and for convenience---they have access to their funds 24/7) in poker rooms all over country). I am happy for them. I am not jealous of them. Not at all. I am not jealous of Steve (name of the young man) either. He is a rarity. He is a superstar. I salute his poker superiority over me. 

In about a week, the finals of the 2013 Main Event ($10,000 entry fee) No Limit Hold'Em (a game invented by Texans in early 1950's or so) of The World Series of Poker will be played in Vegas. There are 9 players left from over 6,000 contestants. The winner will be paid $6 million and some change. Ninth-placed finisher will be paid almost $800,000. There's a Vietnamese player, J.C. Tran, in the finals. He's experienced and well-known. He's a favorite to win. In the past, Scotty Nguyen won the championship. 

You can follow the finals on the Net or live in order to savor the atmosphere. No Lmit Poker is a financial full-contact sport. It's the best game ever invented by Man. It resembles real life the most. It's far better than chess. If you think you are very smart, knowledgeable about the human mind, and brave, I urge you to take up the sport. You will find out really fast who you really are and what you are made of. The public don't realize that lawyers, engineers, businessmen, and college graduates all over the world have been flocking to the game ever since a young accountant with an improbable name Chris Moneymaker (real name, a very nice man, I have met him) won the championship in 2003. 

Wissai
October 29, 2013