Is life somewhat like snakes & ladders?

Let us first examine the game of snakes and ladders (or its later version: chutes and ladders.) According to Wikipedia, the original conception of the game was as a morality lesson: “where a player's progression up the board represented a life journey complicated by virtues (ladders) and vices (snakes).” In this sense, one could draw a parallel between snakes and ladders and life. However, as a modern board gamer, I see this in a different light. Snakes and Ladders is a zero choice game- a game so lucky heavy, that a computer can play it as well as a person as well as an eggplant.

All that is required is to roll dice, (though the eggplant probably would have difficult with that.) And is a 100% luck, zero-choice simulation reflect what life is. I would argue no. One of the most important goals in counseling, particularly in existential and reality therapies, is to help the client understand that they have a choice in their lives. Sure, luck plays a role in what happens to you, but each person has options as to how to respond. It is often an easier thing to blame others when life isn’t going well. And in some sense, that is valid. The actions of people in our lives invariably affect us.

However, we are ultimately responsible for our response. Life is not rolling a six and moving six spaces (possibly sliding down a snake.) Life is rolling the die and making the choice: Given that I’ve rolled a six, how many spaces do I want to move? And that makes all the difference. Yes I bet it is because I have seen in my friend's life so many ups and downs than in my life. After joining the company, within 2 months he was thrown out of the company for no reason. They said it was because of his weak communication skill. He became jobless and had a huge amount of loan. Not fair, right? He tried very hard, but he had his own ego, so he didn't want to join a company which was ready to pay only pennies. Tried for entrance test cleared, but his rank was not enough to get him into a good college. 2 years wasted. Not fair, right?

Ask any jobless youngster, how difficult life is for him, due to family pressure. A fully-grown man, when asks for money for his living expenses from family, certainly torment for self respect as well as ego. Not fair, right? Where his college-friends were earning, going on-sites, some of them owned flat, four wheeler and all basic luxury. And he was living in the PG, away from home. And he was watching silently, cursing his luck. Life was not fair in any way for him.

Then full 3 years passed, he gave a thought for his own start-up. But in 1 year, that start-up failed. Now, he has no job, no money and a life where Indian society started asking questions like, "kya kar rahe ho aajkal"? (what are you doing these days). And a silence from him used to say everything from what he was going through. Is life really fair? After all these struggles, one thing never happened: he never surrendered. He kept on trying. The Loan amount became huge from big, but he didn't stop. And finally it (hard work) paid off.

Finally, he got a job of an officer in a PSU bank. Quite impressive job where, Company provided him a posh flat in Mumbai, whereas there was a time when he spent 4 years in dormitory. Now, he was provided every luxury which we couldn't earn after 5 years of job. In one year, his life changed from darker to brighter side, from bottom to top. A question he kept on asking: is life really fair? No, life is not fair for those who surrender. Keep trying until this world justifies your hard work. The Rest is your wish. Keep cribbing about your shitty life, while sitting whole day on sofa and watching others' life and their success. Cheers!