“Tumble Down” Game Procedure

My Reflections of the Game

Actions that will affect the players / game / life.

Working as a Team in Life

In all Aspects of Life
- An Overview

Stack up coloured blocks, 3 in a row, in alternate vertical then horizontal directions, going upwards till a column is formed.

• The stacked up column is the foundation of your life for your relationship with your partner, family or society.  

• The way you have stacked the blocks indicates your attitude towards matters in your life.

• Do not help with the preparation of the game.
• Not building a strong foundation by stacking it haphazardly.

Preparation should be a role in our life.  If we plan to marry / start a family / business or career, we must make sure that we have the right foundation to build them on.

Just taking time to understand one another can solve most of our problems.  It can be done by reading or by attending talks relevant to the issues you will face in your life.  Be prepared.   

The players

• The 1^st player represents someone in your life who will disappoint or affect you in some way with a problem or an issue.  

• As the 2^nd player, you have to remember just as other will hurt you; you  too will do the same to others. 

Players who do not learn from the mistakes they made while playing the game and continue to make the same mistake thus collapsing the column early in the game.  This will bore the more efficient player, as there is no excitement when there is no opportunity to build up the column any higher. 

Imagine that the game is played in such a way that both players work towards building the column higher and higher as if they are trying to break the Malaysian Book of Records.  When we work as a team, there will be no looser.  Then life would be more fun and exciting.

Learn to make your life exciting with the people you love and not seek it outside your marriage or family circle .  If you do not find excitement in your life, chances are your partner or family members too are facing the same situation.  Would you like them to seek excitement that you may not approve of elsewhere?

The first move - 1^st player call out the colour of the block to remove. 

The colour of the block called out represents the problem or issue to be handled by each player.  As the same colour appears just any where in the column means that throughout your life there will be issues of the same nature to resolve but it may come from other quarters of your life. 

• Not looking and thinking before we make a move.
• Not considering the consequences or how his / her actions will affect others and the stability of the foundation. 
  

If we were to think as a team the chances of making a mistake is slimmer.

The mistake the young can make is not making efforts to learn from mistakes made by others who have been through it, that is, not listening to the elderly or people with experience.  The worst thing we can do as an adult is to hide the mistakes (like a skeleton in the closet) we have made not realising that we can prevent the young from going through the pain we did by telling them the truth.  Sometimes as an adult, we too can make the mistake of using the wrong solution in solving problems.  The outcome shows when we continuously read news of war, rising rates in divorces, senseless death committed through crime of passion, etc.

The 2^nd player select block of the colour called out to remove

• The block chosen to remove is the people player turn to or the solution he / she picked to resolve an issue.

• The gap left behind after the block is removed indicates the effect his or her action has on their life / society / or people who care for them. 

• Removing the block in a hurry thus vibrating and affecting the stability of the foundation.  (Act in haste and you could move from temporary loneliness / pain to permanent remorse).

• Being pushed / pressured by the other player to make a quicker decision to select and move.

If one is able to seek advice or advise the other if an action is not right and help to move him / her in the right direction, chances of affecting the foundation of their life is slimmer.  When the gap is bridged with a helping hand there will be less damage to fix up and any unpleasant feelings created by the problems faced can be easily overcome.

Sometimes we do not take time to understand why we are facing the problems in our life.  We tend to go for quick fix / gratification, (eg, having an affair, taking drugs, taking revenge, etc,) without considering the outcome.  All it takes is to approach the right people (eg, our parents / counsellor / teacher / pastor, etc) or to take the correct stance in seeking solutions.    

If column does not collapse then 2^nd player will restack block removed on top of column. 

To re-stack is his / her action to move on / forgive / let go of the situation / issue and continue with life.  Not doing so indicates that player does not want to forgive / let to / move on / have something to hide.

The game cannot continue if one or both players do not want to re-stack (forgive / let go / move on) and keep holding on to the blocks (grievances, resentment, bitterness, or secrets).  Soon there will be nothing left to build up the foundation.

Being honest with each other when handling issues will help both players to move on to the next step in resolving the matter. 

Secret and lies we keep from people we care for will shake the foundation of our life because what goes around comes around.  Infidelity is one of the worst lies we can create in marriage.  It affects the well being of everyone in the family, especially, the young.

After re-stacking without collapsing column, 2^nd player will then call out the colour for 1^st player to remove and re-stack on top of column.

As you are one of the players, it indicates that you too will disappoint or affect others with a problem or an issue.

The efficient player who is aware of the weaknesses of the other player.  He / She is good at calling the colour knowing that its removal will affect the structure of the column.

When you work as a team, you will not act on the weaknesses of the other.

In relationships, when we work on maintaining the love we have for one another and build up the trust, we need not fear showing our weaknesses.  We know that our mates will help us overcome them.

The game continue thus until one of the players collapsed the column.  The first player who collapsed column is the loser.

The collapsed indicates a mistake made or an experience that have affected his / her life.

Adopting a “couldn’t care less attitude”.  When one or both players restacked the block haphazardly or do not do it gently it will affect the stability of the foundation and collapsed the column sooner.

When the more efficient is able to guide and remind the other of the danger in destabilizing the foundation, chances of disruptions in their life will be reduced.

Be attentive of the people we care for in our life.  Assure them that they can turn to you when they are in trouble and need solutions.  Do not turn them away as you could be their lifelines.

Players to re-stack and replay.

To re-stack and re-play is to rebuild your foundation and move on.

• No one wants to play with a sore looser or one who does not want to co-operate in re-stacking new column. 
  
• Others will only enjoy playing with players who are able to accept that collapsing the column and restacking is part and parcel of the game. 
  

As both have worked on building the foundation, should an experience affect its structure, it will be through their some matters they have overlooked.  Both will accept this as a passage they have to go through in the life.  Both will re-build foundation together thus being able to carry on with life sooner.

We will go through all kind of experiences in our life.  Some of them will be positive and some negatives.  The foundation we try to build up with the people we care for will strengthen as long as we learn from our mistakes and share our experiences.  All it takes is a step forward.