Some of you may recognize the title of this post. For those of you who are not Trekkies, you’ll still probably know it as the first half of a well-known proverb, but so you know, it’s the title of the last episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which probably had the highest popularity-while-airing of any of the many Treks. Don’t worry, the title is not alluding to anything you’re probably not already aware of as a listener of the show, but I felt it necessary to talk about it here.
This weekend is the big BreakmanX LAN Party, and gods know, I’ve been looking forward to it since before it was even announced. Much fun will be had, what with multiple Rock Band setups, enough 360s for everyone to have their own screen during a Halo 3 match, and various people bringing rare treats such as Bomberman Saturn and Radiant Silvergun. Plus, I’ll get to meet community members I haven’t had a chance to meet yet, and pwn them in my favorite games. What more could a gamer ask for?
The event comes as somewhat bittersweet, however, as it marks the beginning of what is essentially the epilogue of this particular book of life. The party is, after all, a going-away party for Break as he prepares to move to California. Don’t get me wrong, this does not mean the end of the show. We intend to pick up where we leave off using the marvels of teh Intarwebs, with episodes of Naughty Bits filling the space between. The show will go on. For me, however, it won’t be the same; my best friend is moving away.
Now I don’t want to turn this post into a sobfest, and it’s not like I’m never going to get to see Break again. But it, plus my impending marriage, have made me think about a few things lately. The nature of life and of karma. The way ups and downs always seem to balance out. The fact that nothing in life is final. The way people’s destinies become entwined.
A lot of people compare life to a series of chapters in a book, but I don’t think this is the case. I think it’s closer to a series of books. The books themselves are divided into chapters, yes, but the fact remains that it is a series of books. Why the distinction, you ask? Let’s say the author of a certain series of books suddenly stops writing his books, for whatever reason. Maybe he dies, or becomes crippled, or just loses interest and can’t be persuaded by the publishing company to continue for any amount of money. Whatever the reason, the end result is that the series comes to a stop.
Some people stop "writing books." They hit these snags, troubled times that threaten to bring them down, and their lives essentially come to a stop, just like the series of books that is their life suddenly becomes discontinued. And it’s simply because they stop living their lives. They have nothing more to live for, and so there are no more books.
So what, this whole post is basically a motivational speech? More or less. The point I’m trying to make is that one way to bring yourself out of things like this… is games. Play games. Learn about games. Get involved in gaming community. Go to a LAN center or LAN party. One of the surest ways of getting out of a funk is to socialize with others, as there will always invariably be someone there whom you can identify with.
I’m going to have a hard time this summer without Break around, but I’ll get by. Life goes on, the games keep rolling out, and there’s always online play.
