Life is only passing time...and, if you are fortunate, the passing of that time can be comfortable and free of tension.
If you are not fighting battles to survive you can look to ways to enjoy yourself - family, work, pleasures.
One of these pleasures is chess. It is a pleasant and stimulating way of passing time. Maybe that's why such things are called 'pastimes'?
All things come to pass...
And if someone becomes good and starts beating people, that person will feel very highly of himself, that person will brag. which will then bring more people into it. In the end, people just want pride! they want fame!
I can't really think of an example when Garry Kasparov, undisputed World Champion from 1985 to 1993 'bragged'.
I honestly don't know what's worse - the OP's hypocritical and selfpwning fail or the fact that all of you guys are practically tripping over yourselves to deal with it.
It's like you've never dealt with trolls before. In the ocean of the internet, do you ever wade far out into the lapping waves or are you all sitting around in this kiddie pool of a forum with your water wings on?
Some account created the very day decides to start a thread about how chess is a waste of time because the rapture is upon us, and you all flail about, earnestly defending the benefits of chess, instead of immediately calling him on the fact that a) if chess is meaningless, taking the time to create an account on a chess website is infinitely moreso and b) there are much bigger fish he could chase after if anything of what he's saying he actually believed, ie.
________________________________________
"So in the end do something thats going to change the outcome of the future."
Like posting on internet messageboards how the singular reason for the site to exist is a meaningless activity, and then proceed to play the very game you were decrying.
"So does it really matter if I post this or not?"
Not even one iota.
______________________________________
Comeooon guys. What's with all the furrowed brows and earnest engagement with clearly ridiculous topics? Why do threads like "disrespectfullness" and endless resignation and cheating topics dominate this forum? Does no one aim for win anymore? Have you ever even seen what an epic thread is supposed to look like?
For shaaaaaame.
"All things must pass" - George Harrison
"are you going to be happy to say you played a 'LOT' or just some, chess?"
I enjoy studying or playing chess more than saying I studied or played chess.
"whats the point of playing chess on the internet??"
What's the point of moonlit walks on the beach, or climbing a mountain, or enjoying a meal and wine with friends, or playing with your children?
"Whats the point..."
You sound a bit down. I hope you don't take offense at this, but consider going out and getting some exercise--it provably helps raise your spirits.
Ecclesiastes 8:15: Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry....
Interesting to the spurious God-talk is the origin of Harrison's title, Matthew 24: 6-8
"And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows."
Put another way, all physical happenings are ephemeral in the Christian viewpoint - ephemeral, that is, to the higher plane of divine realisation. Then again, if you don't believe in God, this is largely irrelevant.
The relevance to chess? Circumstantial. It's a game; a highly complex game, one of the most complex of the codified games we humans play. As such we can glean almost boundless enjoyment from it if we wish. It's 'worth it' in that sense.
As to whether we'd be better off doing something more fruitful, that is up to the individual, of course. Personally, I enjoy the game very much, but soon won't be playing it nearly as much as I have been for the past few months.
I think that we all get different things from chess. Most manage to derive a great deal of pleasure from playing, I know that I do. If you think that it pointless, then it is for you, and you should look for alternative pleasures. There are plenty to choose from; religion, sport, family, travel .... as long as you enjoy doing whatever pleases you, keep doing it. I know that I'll probably still be playing in twenty years time.
Has anyone read "The Glass Bead Game" by Herman Hesse. It won a Pulitzer (sp). It is about a society formed on the basis of a game that combines art and science. The structure of society is based upon this game. I may be misremembering a little since I read it about 35 years ago, but it is an excellent book, and the game reminded me very much of chess.
Stay away from divers places!
I started this post saying (trying to say) that Im tired of people getting so worked up over things that don't really matter.
It's arrogant and nonsensical for you to decide what should matter or not for other people. Moreover given that you espouse the view that nothing matters due to death, chess should not be any less or more important than another activity. In fact, given that nothing matters, the only important aspect would be enjoying life in the present. If chess makes you happy, that means everything.
However, I don't subscribe to the view that death renders life meaningless or to a hedonistic philosophy. I'm just highlighting the absurdity of the claims.
Has anyone read "The Glass Bead Game" by Herman Hesse. It won a Pulitzer (sp). It is about a society formed on the basis of a game that combines art and science. The structure of society is based upon this game. I may be misremembering a little since I read it about 35 years ago, but it is an excellent book, and the game reminded me very much of chess.
YES! That is such a fantastic work of literature. Siddharta is overrated (I never really enjoyed the seperation of Buddha and Gautama), and although Narcissus and Goldmund comes close, the Glass Bead Game is a real triumph.
The book only really hints at how the game is played, but there are interesting parallels with chess. It's a kind of performative linking of conceptual themes - choosing topics like chess moves, dancing through the whole gamete of world history, aethetics, music and literature, and in the same way as we orchestrate pieces together in combinations and organize them in an overall strategy they do that with concepts.
Really impressive stuff. The story is about Magister Ludi (master of the game) - the equivalent of the World Champion, but also somewhat like a Pope.
I second Darius' suggestion wholeheartedly.
"They say that life is too short for chess, but that is the fault of life... not chess." - ... erm, I forget :P.
Just because you're no good at chess doesn't mean you have to be excessively evangelical on a chess website. Are you trying to convert atheists who pursue singular goals, who indulge in the revelry and debauchery of chess to Christianity? To free them from sin? Are all intellectual pursuits pointless, futile, pathetic?
Emo tread!
I enjoy playing chess, why would I regret doing something I enjoy?
The title.. Is it? When you look back on your life, say 20 years from now are you still going to be playing chess? Is it worth taking seriously? In the end you just become old and dried up. When your lying in your deathbed thinking over your life, are you going to be happy to say you played a 'LOT' or just some, chess? Everything is going to end for everyone no matter what, so when people go on bragging and hating over wins and losses it makes me look at them with not envy but disgust. In the end, is chess really important?..
It seems to me you are not enjoying the game because you have opponents that brag so much? Chess is a good mental exercise for our brains. :) Is chess worth it? I think so especially if they have a good time. Maybe you don't care so much about chess. That is fine. There are things that I don't care much about but I wouldn't say that they are a waste of time. It would be a matter of opinion. :)
That's like asking if baseball, bowling, boy scouts, etc. are worth it. Chess is absolutely fine to play and good mental exercise. I see nothing wrong with being competitive about it, as long as chess does not consume one's life. The same goes for any hobby, recreation, sport, or activity. Chess is not a life ruiner, but a life enhancer.
This is all very funny, you all love chess...
Really everything is pointless, but hey - what else is there to do atm?
Dont become angry, or disturbed.. Dont try and insult me or squash me, just handle things in a more honorable, easy way
To me, chess is a brief moment in time, where logic can exsist unmolested. It, unlike Fyah's tiresome, timewasting rant about wasting time on chess, makes sense. Chess, like most human endeavor, is completely meaningless until the human being injects meaning into it. It is nothing more or less than what we the individual make it. To you Fyah, chess is boring nothingness, and that is ok. That is what meaning it has to your existance. If you don't like it so much, maybe CHESS.com wouldn't exactly be the best place for you to avoid it.
Not trying to be offensive but the comments that the original writer of this thread was making at the beginning of this post makes me think that they are going through some sort of depression. It seems that they find very little joy in things in life and need to knock down things that others find enjoyable.
If this feeling persists, I would suggest that they might wish to consider getting professional help and visiting a therapist to assist them with the negative feelings that are running through their mind at this time.
I completely agree with everything you said. I came to the same conclusion. Gosh Fyah, I am a Christian and believe in God, but your remarks completely support the typical stereotypes given to Christians. Get over it and enjoy chess! If you still feel that way, then don't play chess. Problem Solved!
Im not having any problems...
Chess. Is. Nothing. Thats all Im saying, Im not saying that chess itself is something against what is right, I play it myself, even here on chess.com.
I started this post saying (trying to say) that Im tired of people getting so worked up over things that don't really matter.