Goal of your Life
In a Turkish movie most of you will remember, the motto, ‘life is astonishingly similar to football’, which is just another example of what life is thought to be similar to. I think it should be pretty natural, that one thing that is embraced by another, must be alike its larger set. Since life embraces everything to our knowledge, its sub-sets can be a lot like itself, just like football could be. Before associating football with life, for enlightenment, let’s have a look at two other games that were considered in the same manner.
Around the 5th century, chess was invented in India, and the Indian emperor sent the game set to the Persian ruler, attaching a short message: ‘Wisdom, consideration, and the right choices. This is life.’ The Persian sultan thought he shouldn’t leave this act of kindness unanswered, so he ordered his men to invent a new game to send back. After a few months, the Indian emperor received a game called backgammon (tavla), with a little note on the box: ‘Wisdom, consideration, the right choices. And some amount of luck. Now, this is life.’
It may be true that football as well, is like life itself, except that the success of scoring a goal may be identified in different terms, depending on how you see the purpose of living: Money, love, family, you name it. However, the way to achieve goals, I mean ‘goals’ in both ways, is alike and ‘the end might very well justify the means’, as our guest author Machiavelli would suggest!
You need wisdom to be able to decide what kinds of tactics you should start the match with, be aware of what awaits you, and be flexible enough to change in time; say 90 minutes. Plus, as a player, you must consider your options quick enough to change the game's destiny, for one thing may lead to another in a matter of seconds.
Lastly, the right choices you make could very likely lead you to what you want in football. Parallel to that, in life, if you know your goal as clear as a goal is in football terms, I don't see anything that would stop you.
And the role of luck? You may continuously shoot to the post, have a bad referee, or have many injuries on your team, but keep in mind the Adidas slogan. Just like a ball, your life may be your first love, and your last chance.
“Own the ball. Win the game.”

Efe Peker (POLS/IV)
efepeker@yahoo.com