Che Diavolo???
We were reminded at work that any gambling we may engage in between
teams and people as the Football World Cup approaches, must be approved by the Compliance Officer. It made me smirk
as I recalled how we would go to the bookies every lunch and put money on various
combinations of results. A combination of likely and a few unlikely results
happening would win you a reasonable amount of money. But, sometimes large
accumulations would fall through by one result failing. The taste of
disappointment in this after it happened a few times in a row would make you
want to win the small amount of money you’ve staked, back. How to do this?
Well, one way is to take an event that’s extremely likely and almost imminent,
and put lots of money on it. 9 times out of 10 it will pull through; the
Dominican Republic don’t come back to beat Brazil from being 2-0 down with 5
minutes to go – not very low likelihood, and if you stake enough, you will get
something reasonable back. Since the odds are very high, your winnings wouldn’t
be great, but at least we’d make back what we lost earlier; or so, as ‘youngsters’
we thought we would. We needed to recover £25. Italy, who had the most water
tight defence in the world, had not conceded a single goal in the 2002 Japan
and South Korea World Cup of 2002, all the way to the semi-final of the
tournament, and were playing again South Korea. There were 15 minutes left, and
Italy were, in their usual fashion, winning 1-0. It seemed sure as anything
that they would not concede. Me and my friend went to the counter, put down
£200, which would win us back the £25 we had earlier lost. I don’t particularly
like explaining what happened next. Yes, the Koreans went up full steam, in
came a cross, and somehow their striker rose above Paolo Maldini, one of the best defenders in the history of football, and scored! We
lost the money, and were pretty disappointed to say the least. Never had our
eyes opened wider in disbelief. We then decided we would never stake more than
£1 on a particular sequence. Within a few days we won what we had lost. We
evaluated how we felt about the sport, and about this gambling. We had initial
started to put money on the football because we had quite a genuine interest in
it, and thought it would be fun to make some predictions, it would add some excitement.
When watching the Italy game however, we didn’t care about how amazing Paolo Maldini’s
last ditch tackle was, or Park’s goal was. All we cared about was our money! We
didn’t care about the process, we cared about the result. If we analyse further, the £200 investment yielded nothing. The few £’s investment yielded over £200. Life is like this. Sometimes so much is invested into big things. These seem like the most important.
The sound of the chopper as it gets closer becomes clearer and clearer to everyone; there is anticipation to see who comes in. Eventually, and a elderly but polished looking figure enters with a lady. They are escorted by three people to their table and offered towels to refresh themselves from the journey. They're then served several rounds of refreshments and starters, followed by over a dozen gourmet delicacies along with the finest spirits. A weary, pale figure, knowing he is safe, relaxes in the comforts of the shelter he has taken; it is clear in his eyes. Thousands and thousands of Hong Kong dollars is simply no issue for the momentary peace afforded. What was the real cost of this enjoyment?
The young banker enjoys his night out with the lads, with scores of beautiful women from all over Asia surrounding them. Their toned bodies, tailored for enjoyment; they seem like they can forget whatever else they did during the day and just enjoy. Then as the planes depart for the weekend holiday, anticipation is in the air once again. The excitement of getting away boils. What is the real cost of this enjoyment?Meanwhile, back in the dojo, the students line up, bow multiple times to pay their respects to the dojo, to the sensei, and to each other. There is a brotherly spirit, and the cost is minimal. Repetition of technique, again and again and again. Improvisation of the same technique, in different situations with different people brings a deeper satisfaction to one. What is the cost of this feeling?
Small everyday deeds
What does a set of martial arts classes for a year cost in
comparison with a few holidays? What do they return? What is the longevity of
the return? Now am not saying stop going on holiday! They're also fun and such rejevenation is important sometimes. But on the whole we
certainly overinvest mentally, emotionally, and financially in things that have a very futile return, and underinvest in those
things that have deeper, long lasting returns. If we live consciously of this,
then in our work and outside dealings we will feel a greater deal of
satisfaction, which will make us simultaneously happy and sober.
As for the gentleman in the Michelin 3 star restaurant
arriving by helicopter, what was the cost? From his eyes, it looked like a
life-long stress in a business or something. Maybe it wasn’t, maybe it was a
few lucky breaks, or an inheritance, who knows? Whatever the cause, you could
see he was able to release his stress or anxiety in the restaurant not being
around people except his lady. For the bankers, they have to work all hours, in
a cut-throat environment, all day to sustain their routine and lifestyle. For
the martial arts students however, it is daily increments of effort, of
discipline which remove them mentally from all the things of this world, teach
them to respect and to be humble, and to be determined. It costs a fraction of
the price of the things mentioned above in many respects. What purchasable
things do you need to practise martial arts? For Bruce Lee, it was hardly
anything. For Tony Jaa, it was hardly anything. The important things in life,
which can make us happier in a deeper way centre around good values and
principles, and good values and principles do not cost anything. They’re free. Simple-heartedness
is a rare virtue in many places, but is most endearing. Warren Buffet is simple
hearted, and I don’t think he’d trade that mindset for any amount of money; he
doesn’t need to.
A balanced life is very important, and we should absolutely
make sure we are doing what we and our families need, but also the education
that it’s not the £200 stakes that take all our resources that make us rich, it
is the small things, the little things, but infused with goodness, which make
us truly rich in life.
Galadriel: Why
the Halfling?
Gandalf: I do not
know. Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but
that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of
ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay, small acts of kindness and love.
