A Penny's Worth of Thoughts: Crazy World

Things have gotten out of hand here recently, haven't they?  This pandemic has definitely shown how critically opposite point of views can get, even in regards toward attaining the same goal.  There are areas where hearing one of the approaches can have you thinking "Yeah, that could work" while the other can bring out the "Wait, what?" out of you.  There are even varying degrees of each: me, personally, align with the self-isolation, partly because it's an easy thing on my part, usually playing games online with my buddies and all, and partly because, knowing my condition is classified as an auto-immune disorder, it may be the wisest idea for me.  That being said, there is a difference between preparing for the storm and personally emptying shelves of supplies that I may need for a yet uncertain amount of time.

The flipside of that, however, which I think is becoming more prevalent as time goes on is the cabin fever effect showing it's potency, though not without it's own reasons.  Many of those individuals are in positions that know that things will stack against waiting it out over time.  Goods and services are still in use, perhaps even more so now than before, and they have a fear of the reserve supply of each also running it's course.  On this side, I also agree.  I'm eager to return to work, if for nothing more than extra stability.  And so, once again, I find myself standing neutral in a field of polar opposites.

There are arguments to be made for each, as always.  Arguments that you can see or hear through news outlets or social media.  Arguments searching for a one-size-fits-all solution, despite the fact that there has rarely ever been one.  Certain people are better suited for some than others, and the, I would say almost off-hand, parts for the others aren't always the best of options either, as there are just some things that can't be handled from home, just as there are things that can be surprising or overlooked, even with an excess of caution.

In a way, it kind of reminds me of any one of a collection of collectable card games.  The deckbuilding being representative of our knowledge of what to expect, usually with minor additions or a side board for our cautionary stance.  But one thing remains the same, we never truly know what will be on the other side of the table, sometimes not even when enough cards have been played for a reasonable prediction, as there could always be trade outs or tweaks made to what we assume it to be.  But, you can always tell an opponent's familiarity with the game, usually by either their lack of or over-preparedness.  Still, even when we think we know what will happen, one surprise turn can completely turn it around, and that is something I know many think about, with the generally held stance being that there's only so much preparation you can do before the game begins.  The rest you have to do as it plays out.

Otherwise, in attempt to make sure we have all the pieces, all we succeed in doing is running our deck dry.

Just a penny's worth of thoughts, for those willing to draw on it.

A Penny's Worth of Thoughts: Challenging One's Self

Here's an interesting thought: Why do some people make things harder on themselves?  Sure, some will say it's for the thrill of the challenge, but it's also possible to go so far that you give up because it becomes too hard.  You may think there's a fine line between the two, only to be surprised at just how much grey area there is between them.

Consider the last time you asked yourself how much more you could take or even simply stated that you couldn't anymore.  Did it continue or stop?  What motivated you one way or the other?  Was that motivation worth it in the end?  Simple questions to ask, much harder to answer, wouldn't you agree?  Perhaps it was a time you told yourself "Never again" only to do it once more without realizing it.

It can also be humbling, thinking on past goals that were never attained for one reason or another.  The challenges within challenges we've set for ourselves over the years.  At what point was that one criteria, that one extra challenge too much?  And yet the progress we had made, perhaps been blind to in some circumstances, meant little if we couldn't answer that challenge.

This one I have personal experience with.  For most of this past year, I had attained a Pokemon Organizer Basic license, which basically allowed me the ability to host officially sanctioned Pokemon tournaments.  Anyone who knows me could tell you that this was a big deal for me, yet for the entire year I had it, I never once used it.  I thought about it, sure, who wouldn't, but no plans ever came to fruition.

It wasn't that I thought I'd be a bad host.  I've helped many people learn the game over the years, whether it be the TCG or the video games, though it may have required a different approach, as I've usually not been one to force people to play the standard format.  No, the thought that bugged me was the hot shot challenger, the eventuality that someone who cares more about winning and losing than I do would come to one of my events, and within the span of one game try to convince everyone that following me could be hindering them.  Because to me, the game has never been about wins or losses, but bringing groups of friends together, occasionally bull-shitting each other along the way.

Sure, it's hard to argue that it'd be nice one day to go to a Pokemon World Championship event just to say I went.  But to actually be able to compete at that level?  I don't think I'm anywhere close to the experience some of those players bring to the table, honestly because I don't think I could bring myself to care so much about the wins and losses.  Every game has a lesson to learn, especially when helping others learn it.  Sometimes it can mean holding of on your combo long enough to gauge someone's true strength and skill.  To help them see their own value.  The hardest skill to master can be how to lose a winning game.

Just a penny's worth of thoughts, for those motivated to read them.

A Penny's Worth of Thoughts: Unto the Breach

Let me start off by saying that no matter how I've thought about this, there has always been bits that part of my thoughts go, "Yep, that's going to upset some people."  I even thought about not giving my own personal thoughts on these controversial divides the "Penny's Worth of Thoughts" tag, as I have tried to keep it as much of a neutral ground as I could.  But, that reasoning also doubles back on me: I like the neutral ground as a way of offering communication with a variety of different perspectives, yet how can I truly claim that if I'm fearful of bringing my own to the table.  So, I sit here ready to type in hopes that I can show some faith in my own neutral ground, and maybe a bit of perspective of what I keep to myself as I continue on with this series.

Let's start with what could very well be the big thing of this entire post: Yes, I support President Trump.  Yes, I know that he has rubbed people the wrong way, and in that regard, I can agree that there could perhaps be more tact in some of what he says or does.  However, I think his approach to the president's seat with the business mindset has had some positives in one way or another.  I also realize that not everyone has had the same experiences.  Truth be told, there are probably a few things I'm not aware of, both on the positive and negative sides, as politics is not something I stray into, sometimes even actively avoiding--and as an aside, I've sat rereading just what I had up to this point, not to figure out what to add, but thinking of all the potential comments punching holes into just this one paragraph, for more than a few minutes now.  Believe me, you all would have great questions and statements that I have no answers for.  I even just typed this much just to appease my neutral mentality, further raising my own self-doubts on the rest of this post.

Shifting on, before I reread for the tenth time, as I'm already starting to come to the conclusion that I suck at picking sides.  The next main one involves religion, as you'd be surprised how frequently I get asked of my faith.  My response is usually, as is my trend, of my neutral stance, but I'd like to take this to elaborate.  The closest identifier I've ever come across is the one of agnostic, being someone who believes what I can prove, though it's less in the regard of being unable to prove any deity, and more in the line of, with our current understandings, such proof is beyond our grasp.  I grew up Methodist Christian, which is where some of my mannerisms stem from.  My neutral stance came about with the simple realization that many religious stories have more similarities than most realize, just told from a different perspective from one another, making it difficult for me to wholly agree or disagree with any.

With the two major ones out of the way--and yes, I know there's probably just as many holes in my religious view as my political--most of the rest are either less controversial, or at the very least, less mentioned.  Starting with the one my recently abuzz with the recent Super Bowl: No, I do not have a sports team I root for.  You'd have better odds of finding a legit 6IV, choice natured Shiny Pokemon with no masuda, charm, chain, or IV breeding than to find me rooting for a sports team--and for those not fluent in Pokemon nerd: one in a million has better odds than what I just described.  LGTBQ group, or non-binary, which ever you guys are going by these days, I'll just start by saying that in my reasoning, male and female are done deal as far as genders, as far as sexuality, you guys do you, just leave me out of it.

I think that's just about it.  I'm sure I've probably got a half dozen or more talks or comments coming my way, so it's probably time to retreat into my Yoshi Egg after posting this.  I will say actually typing it out was much shorter than my thoughts had me expecting it to be... though some chunks probably got cut as I started.  Hell, even getting this far, I'm still tempted to hit that X in the corner, stop myself from following Pandora's path.  And yes, I know, I really am bad at picking sides, but a neutral zone has to be open to all sides, even it's own.

Just a penny's worth of thoughts, for those who don't hate me for reading them.

A Penny's Worth of Thoughts: Kind Hearted Memories

I'll be completely honest in saying that the post I was considering before this was intended to be a follow-up of my previous one, just that the more I kept thinking over it, and finding it just didn't seem to have the message I was intending, I've decided it needs more thought first.  Unlike this one, which I practically had the full idea for within a few hours of playing a demo for an upcoming remake last Thursday.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX.  A remaster of PMD: Red/Blue Rescue Team.  And, man, the memories.  Some of you may not know this, but it was with those games that I first had a presence within any Pokemon communities online, on the old Nintendo forums, and thinking back on those memories, I felt like there may be some refreshing stories, and lessons, to tell.

One of the bonuses of the PMD games, and one that, while inaccessible in the demo, the menu shows is keeping true to the originals, was the ability to use passcodes given from person to person in order to rescue, or be rescued, in game by a fellow player.  I couldn't even tell you anymore how many I at least tried to help, as at the time there were more experienced rescuers.  But, one thing I recall very clearly, is the warming feeling of either typing or seeing those rescued codes with the tag "No reward necessary".  I think there was at least four or five of us that took on those missions just to help others have better experiences with the games, and it was a sense of community that so often gets overlooked anymore.

It's easy to fall into traps of discouragement.  Someone's first try in any competitive scene is often met with judgement of choice or being barraged with the supposed helpful tips or suggestions that forget to account for the lack of skill or knowledge one may have.  Some may even get discouraged at the losses themselves, not aware of the experience they are intended to gain.  Yet, with PMD, the scene was cooperative, with really the only competitive side being races to the bottom of the ninety-nine floor dungeons.  Hell, I even knew of some who used the rescuer system as a way to trade in-game items that were hard to find.

People get so wrapped up in competing with each other, even when there's nothing to compete over.  I feel it can almost be a detriment, forcing our own focus on one path and away from another.  But how to implement those more cooperative paths, that's the real trick of it all, and of course the solutions vary problem to problem.  But I feel the best place to start is in absence of the competition, perhaps in search of those who would honestly say "No reward necessary" to any help they can provide.

If any of you should find yourselves down on your luck on your own mystery dungeon adventures, Team FlameSquad is always ready to lend a hand, if able.

Just a penny's worth of thoughts, for those who decide to read them.

A Penny's Worth of Thoughts: Controversial Controversy

I've made no secret that I have an amount of disdain when it comes to controversial topics and "A Penny's Worth of Thoughts", not because I don't have a personal stance on them, in most cases I do.  It's more that the idea, the general premise, the core of why I started Penny's Worth was to broaden perspectives in the hopes of bringing an understanding, rather than narrowing them in on an objective.  My personal beliefs should be just that, my own personally, not something to influence the perspectives of others into, mainly because I feel that even if I could, their view of it and my view would still differ.  My experiences, my thoughts, however vague at times, are not likely to match exactly with someone else's.

But, part of bringing an understanding to others is to create a system of conversation, and as I think more on things of that nature, we could certainly use more of those systems.  The part my own thought stream has been following as of late is on the how.  Is it even possible, when even just the mention of a controversy can polarize people's minds and perspectives on opposite sides of an argument that hasn't even started yet?

It seems silly at times, how just the word controversy can create one.  But, in a sense, that's what it's designed to do: create conflict.  It's even a writing mechanic, a way to introduce or develop the conflict of a story.  Does it work?  I could point to Harry Potter's "boy who lived" as an example.  It doesn't seem like it, but it works out much like a controversy, polarizing viewpoints within the story based on their perspective of what they believe actually happened.  And what is a controversy but just that?

We fall easily into the trap, too.  Even more so now that before, in some cases.  Perhaps from latent fight or flight instincts, except that over time, either we've used the flight so much that it's lost our value to us or we just hit a point where we actively decided that flight is no longer worth it.  There's an adage, from a book or a movie that, for the life of me, the title has slipped my mind, which goes "A soldier prays for peace but prepares for war."  Looking around any source of outlets these days, it seems like people forget the praying for peace, almost seeming as if they are praying the opposite.

It actually reminds me of one of my High School English papers, of which the general gist is that sometimes what is peaceful to one person can seem chaotic to another, and what could often be the key to that one's peace is a certain level of control over the chaos.  Seems contradictory, doesn't it?  But, perhaps, useful today.  An old perspective within a sea of chaos, somehow finding peace.

It could be my thoughts are just trying to remind me of that place, perhaps in preparation of what's to come as I open my thoughts to the controversial for the first time in a long time as I place that small hint of control: broad, not specific.  And though I highly doubt, even now, that I would touch some topics still, others seem just possible.  This is the perspective I'd wish to share, the calm of the storm.  A sense of peace and understanding within the chaos.  The trick of it is, even if I tried, I could not lead you to it.  It comes from a place that each person must find of their own, typically as unique as they are.  A place referred to as a "Walden" as I recall.

As for mine?  Well, let's just say that any of my classmates who read this will know what I mean when I say that this Penny's Worth still has my usual gaming reference within it.  You just have to know where to look.

Just a penny's worth of thoughts, for anyone willing to read them.