LIFE PLAYS THE SAME GAME
As children we played it for fun.
Paper.
Scissors.
Rock.
Simple game.
Simple rules.
But years later, I began to wonder…
What if it wasn’t a game at all?
What if it was teaching us something about people and life?
PAPER… SCISSORS AND ROCK
LIFE PLAYS THE SAME GAME
As children, we played it to settle arguments.
Who goes first?
Who wins?
Who loses?
Paper.
Scissors.
Rock.
Simple enough.
Yet the older I get, the more I notice that life itself operates on very similar principles.
The difference is that the paper, scissors, and rock…
Are people.
PEOPLE ARE NOT ALL THE SAME
One of the greatest mistakes we make is assuming that everyone should respond the same way.
They don’t.
People come equipped differently.
Different personalities.
Different strengths.
Different weaknesses.
Different gifts.
Different approaches.
What works for one person may fail completely with another.
The game of life seems to know this already.
PAPER
Paper looks harmless.
Unassuming.
Soft.
Flexible.
Easy to overlook.
Many people mistake kindness for weakness.
Big mistake.
Paper defeats rock every time.
How?
Not through force.
Not through intimidation.
Not through aggression.
Through adaptability.
Through patience.
Through intelligence.
Through coverage.
Paper reminds me of compassionate people.
Teachers.
Mothers.
Grandparents.
Pastors.
Caregivers.
Peacemakers.
They don’t look powerful.
Yet they quietly influence everything around them.
The strongest person in the room is often the gentlest.
SCISSORS
Scissors are sharp.
Direct.
Decisive.
Focused.
They cut through confusion.
They separate truth from nonsense.
They remove what no longer belongs.
Scissors remind me of people who tell the truth.
The reformer.
The investigator.
The critic.
The problem solver.
The entrepreneur.
The person willing to ask difficult questions.
The person willing to say what others won’t.
Every organization needs scissors.
Every family needs scissors.
Every person needs scissors at times.
Because sometimes life requires cutting away what is unhealthy.
ROCK
Rock is strength.
Stability.
Resolve.
Conviction.
Rock stands its ground.
Rock doesn’t move easily.
Rock reminds me of people who carry responsibility.
Leaders.
Protectors.
Builders.
Providers.
People who say:
“This far and no farther.”
Sometimes a situation requires firmness.
Sometimes a boundary.
Sometimes courage.
Sometimes standing alone.
Rock has its place too.
WHEN LIFE GETS INTERESTING
The fascinating part is not the pieces.
It is the combinations.
A kind person may need to become a rock.
A strong leader may need to become paper.
A sharp critic may need to soften into compassion.
Success often depends on becoming what the moment requires.
Rock against rock becomes conflict.
Scissors against scissors becomes competition.
Paper against paper becomes stagnation.
The wise person knows when to shift.
THE DANGER OF BEING ONLY ONE THING
Many people spend their lives being only one thing.
Always soft.
Always hard.
Always sharp.
Always agreeable.
Always resistant.
Always accommodating.
Always controlling.
Life eventually teaches them balance.
The mature person learns all three.
THE PEARLS LESSON
Throughout the Pearls Series, I have written that:
“Direction, correction, and suggestion are necessary throughout life.”
Paper offers suggestion.
Scissors offer correction.
Rock offers direction.
Each serves a purpose.
Each has value.
Each has limitations.
The secret is knowing which one to use and when.
LITIGATION, MARRIAGE, BUSINESS, AND LIFE
In business, two rocks often end up in court.
Perhaps one should have become paper sooner.
In marriage, two scissors can spend years cutting each other.
Perhaps one should become paper.
In parenting, being only paper creates entitlement.
Being only rock creates resentment.
Being only scissors creates fear.
Good parenting requires all three.
Good leadership requires all three.
Good living requires all three.
THE HIGHEST FORM
The highest form of wisdom is not being paper.
Or scissors.
Or rock.
The highest form is awareness.
Awareness allows you to become whatever the moment requires.
Awareness asks:
What serves best here?
What helps most here?
What produces the best outcome?
That is maturity.
That is wisdom.
That is growth.
WHAT THEN?
The next time you see Paper, Scissors, Rock…
Smile.
The game is much older than you thought.
The game is much deeper than you imagined.
And perhaps life itself is quietly asking:
What are you today?
Paper?
Scissors?
Rock?
Or wise enough to be all three?
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
Been expecting you