You Decide What It Means To Win

The 1 and 0 game is pretty simple in concept.

Everyone is split into groups of four. Each person is given a piece of paper with ten rounds marked on it. The rounds have strict rules about how you are allowed to communicate with your groupmates: sometimes you can talk normally, sometimes you’re not allowed to communicate at all. When the moderator says “Go,” each person marks either a 1 or a 0 on their paper. You cannot change your answer once it is written down.

If everyone in the group puts a 1, then everyone get 10 points. If everyone in the group puts down a 0, then everyone loses 10 points.

Sounds simple, right? Just put down a 1.

No.

If one person puts down a 1 and everyone else puts down a 0, then that person loses 20 points and everyone else gains 20. If one person puts down a 0 and everyone else puts down a 1, then that person gets 40 points and everyone else loses 40. Each.

I think you can see how this game might get pretty cutthroat.

There is one more rule, at the very end of the list: “You decide what it means to win.”

When I played this game in class, it started out pretty simple. We mostly put down 1s. But then, one person betrayed us and put down a 0. We also weren’t allowed to talk to each other, so no one could explain their reasoning or argue for a change in strategy.

It was over. No one trusted anyone else. There were 0s everywhere!

During the whole game, I just kept thinking about that last rule. What did it mean to win in this game? Did it meaning winning as a group, or as an individual?

This thought popped into my head: It had to be winning as a group, because our teacher would never have us play a game where the point was to hurt each other.

***

Life gets thrown at us. We are born without really knowing what’s going on. Often, we are taught conflicting things. You gotta make it in life! It’s a dog-eat-dog world! Survival of the fittest!

But also: Be kind. Say “Thank you” and “Please.” Give your seat to the old person or pregnant lady. You’re not a rock. You’re not an island. Each man’s death diminishes you.

It’s that old dilemma: “You decide what it means to win.” What does it mean to “win” in life? Is this an individual score? Or are we all in this together?

To complicate matters, there’s no easy answer about what constitutes a 1 and a 0. What might be considered a 1 to one person would be a 0 in someone else. What if we think we’re giving someone a 1, when they see it as a 0? And if someone gives us 0s all the time, does that mean they deserve 0s from us?

The questions are endless.

Is the point of life to hurt each other? Is that how we “win”?

***

In the end, our class scores were counted up as a group total, not individually. The highest score in our class was something like 900, if I remember correctly. My group’s score was in the negative hundreds. We had the lowest score in the class.

The feeling was terrible. It’s not like the class shamed us or anything, but we definitely felt ashamed. We had betrayed each other, and we had betrayed everything we learned in that class. Even if we did get to decide what it meant to win, it became obvious very quickly that we had chosen wrong.

I don’t know all the answers, but I believe we are in this together. It’s hard work, and giving a 1 can be really hard---especially if everyone else is giving you a 0. In the end, this is not an individual endeavor. This life is not a game where we have to hurt each other to survive.

Just remember: You decide what it means to win. But it never said what we decided would be the correct answer.

Photo by Samuel Zeller on Unsplash

Reading Challenge: September & October 2018

Night by Elie Wiesel (a book with a time of day in the title)
Reminded me of Man's Search for Meaning, except instead of finding meaning a concentration camp, Wiesel lost it. Reading about those camp experiences in horrifying and illuminating.

What Do You Care What Other People Think? by Richard Feynman (a book recommended by someone else taking the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge)
Feynman was certainly an interesting character. He did a lot of things other people would have never done without worrying.


Whatever Happened to Janie? by Caroline Cooney (a book set in the decade you were born)
I didn't like this as much as the first one. Instead of being a thrilling mystery, it was a bit of slog of human emotions.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (a book from a celebrity book club)
This was also a bit of a slog of human emotions, but it raises a lot of interesting questions about what is the right thing to do in certain situations. I didn't always agree with what the main characters did, but I don't think you're supposed to. They made human decisions. Ultimately interesting and thought-provoking.


The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (a book about death or grief)
I love science books like this, that take our human history and experience and use that as the basis for scientific discovery. Discovery does not come from a vacuum: there is always a story.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (a book about a problem facing society today)
There are still places in the world similar to this. Even though I can't imagine more forward countries de-evolving to this, it raises questions about the world we still live in and sexist problems we still have.

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (a cyberpunk book)
Also not as good as the second one, but I still love the parallels between this and original fairy tale.

Irish Hallowe'en by Sarah Kirwan Blazek (a book about or set on Halloween)
I'm not gonna pretend I know much about Irish mythology, but I loved the cute little mistaken identities that happened in this story.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (a book that involves a bookstore or library)
Interesting book with some genuinely funny moments. Weird though. Very weird.

Also read, but not for the challenge:


Other Minds by Peter Godfrey-Smith

Saints: The Standard of Truth by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Everything All At Once by Katrina Leno 

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
 

More Important Than Anything

What would you consider the most important thing that has ever happened? Perhaps you’re thinking of the invention of the wheel or of writing. Perhaps you’re thinking of women’s suffrage or the civil rights movement. All of these were important events, it’s true, and the world would not be the same without them. But a certain prophet over two thousand years ago made it clear what was the most important event in human history---indeed, in the universe’s existence.

“Behold, I say unto you there be many things to come,” said Alma the younger, a prophet living in the ancient Americas. “Behold, there is one thing which is of more importance than they all—for behold, the time is not far distant that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people ...

“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.       

“And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

“Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.” (Alma 7:7, 11-13; The Book of Mormon).

The most important event ever, according to Alma, was the coming of Jesus Christ to redeem His people. Why?

The Book of Mormon teaches us that too.

Have you ever done something wrong and wish you could make it right? Of course you have. We all have. We’re all human, and we make mistakes. It’s like we’re swimming in the ocean, with our weaknesses and our sins floating around us, closer and closer, like Portuguese man o’ war.

Luckily for us, Christ can save us from our sins, according to Amulek (Alma 11; Book of Mormon). He can’t and won’t save us in our sins (because what’s the point of picking up the man o’ war with the victim?), but He will rescue us from them.

You ever desperately searched for peace and healing? Of course you have. All of us have.

The prophet Abinadi tells us that Christ brings us peace. Without Christ’s sacrifice, we would all be without peace in this world:

“O how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that is the founder of peace, yea, even the Lord, who has redeemed his people; yea, him who has granted salvation unto his people;

“For were it not for the redemption which he hath made for his people, which was prepared from the foundation of the world, I say unto you, were it not for this, all mankind must have perished” (Mosiah 15:18-19; Book of Mormon).

And Christ himself taught us how we can gain that peace: through repentance and baptism.

“My Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross,” Christ said. “And after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works …   

“Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day” (3 Nephi 27: 14, 20; Book of Mormon).

All the important things in the world have brought freedom of some kind. Without the invention of the wheel and writing, we wouldn’t have the communication we have today. Without women’s suffrage and the civil rights movements, many people in this country and throughout the world wouldn’t have the freedoms they now enjoy. These important movements are still happening today.

Christ’s redemption also continues. It’s been two thousand years, but we can still receive peace and joy from Christ today.

Like Alma, I have a testimony in me. I have seen so clearly how the Book of Mormon has blessed me. I understand so much more about Jesus Christ and the Atonement. I feel His love so deeply.

If you haven’t read this book, read it. If you’ve read it, read it again. As Isaiah said, “Who shall declare his generation?” (Mosiah 14:8; Book of Mormon). Who will stand with Christ?

Will you?

Reading Challenge: August 2018

Faith Among Shadows by Malcolm Leal (a book by a local author)
A fascinating true story about a Cuban soldier searching for God. I knew the man who wrote this book.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (a book with your favorite color in the title)
I'm more of a "hidden allegory" kind of person, whereas Hawthorne is an "explicit allegory" kind of writer. His books sometimes make for difficult reading, but I thought this was a good book.

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (a book involving a heist)
Interesting story, interesting world. Felt real, tangible.

Also read, but not for the challenge:

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Reading Challenge: July 2018

Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach (A microhistory)
As someone who has always been interested in astronomy and space travel, reading about the details of actually living in space fascinated me.

Also read, but not for the challenge:

The Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Reading Challenge: June 2018

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (a book about or involving a sport)
A great book about the importance of communication. How do we communicate with each other? Do we?

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (a book mentioned in another book)
Still a beautiful book, even after several years away. Haunting.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys (a book set at sea)
A story of four young-ens struggling to survive in eastern Europe near the end of WWII. Racing towards a terrible, inevitable conclusion.

Also read, but not for the challenge:


Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

The Northern Lights by Lucy Jago

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque 

Reading Challenge: May 2018

Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs (a book with alliteration in the title)
Reichs' writing is riveting and vivid, but this book was just so disturbing, violent and visceral I couldn't enjoy it. It left me feeling sick, and not even in a "Wow, I've learned something that I didn't like" sort of way.

When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park (a book set in a country that fascinates you)
I don't know much about U.S. history, much less international history, so learning about Korean lives during WWII was interesting and eye-opening.

Young Goodman Brown and Other Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne (an allegory)
I've honestly always assumed I would hate Hawthorne's books. I mean, they're not really my type, but he has such interesting, relatable themes in his stories. I found myself enjoying his stories so much more than I'd expected.

Storm Front by Jim Butcher (a book with a weather element in the title)
Eh, it was OK. Had potential, but I felt like it kept on talking about things I wasn't interested in.

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George (a childhood classic you've never read)
This book would have bored me so much when I was a kid, so I guess it's a good thing I'm reading it now. Honestly, it's still pretty boring, but I think I can appreciate the themes a little more.

Also read, but not for the challenge:
Persuasion by Jane Austen

Reading Challenge: Halfway!

I made it to 26 books on the 2018 Popsugar Reading Challenge! I'm still looking for recommendations for some of these other categories; finding books doesn't seem to be as easy as it was last year...

This is what I have so far:

1.  A book made into a movie you've already seen: Matilda by Roald Dahl 4/5 stars

2.  True Crime: No easy answers : the truth behind death at Columbine by Brooks Brown and Rob Merritt

3.  The next book in a series you started: Anne of Avonlea by LM Montgomery 4/5 stars

4.  A book involving a heist:

5.  Nordic noir: Smilla’s Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg 2/5 stars

6.  A novel based on a real person: An astronaut's guide to life on earth by Chris Hadfield 4/5 stars

7.  A book set in a country that fascinates you - When My Name was Keoko by Linda Sue Park 3/5 stars

8.  A book with a time of day in the title -

9.  A book about a villain or antihero: Vicious by V.E. Schwab 3/5 stars

10.  A book about death or grief -

11.  A book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym -

12.  A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist - Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Saenz 4/5 stars

13.  A book that is also a stage play or musical - Aida by Leontyne Price 4/5 stars

14.  A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you - The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera 4/5 stars

15.  A book about feminism - A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf 5/5 stars

16.  A book about mental health -

17.  A book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift - Nine Tomorrows by Isaac Asimov 4/5 stars

18.  A book by two authors: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff 4/5 stars

19.  A book about or involving a sport -

20.  A book by a local author -

21.  A book with your favorite color in the title -

22.  A book with alliteration in the title - Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs 3/5 stars

23.  A book about time travel - Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 2/5 stars

24.  A book with a weather element in the title - Storm Front by Jim Butcher 2/5 stars

25.  A book set at sea -

26.  A book with an animal in the title - Beast by Donna Jo Napoli 2/5 stars

27.  A book set on a different planet - The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale 4/5 stars

28.  A book with song lyrics in the title -

29.  A book about or set on Halloween -

30.  A book with characters who are twins: I'll Give You the Sun by by Jandy Nelson 4/5 stars

31.  A book mentioned in another book -

32.  A book from a celebrity book club -

33.  A childhood classic you've never read - My Side of the Mountain by Jean George 3/5 stars

34.  A book that's published in 2018 - Meet Cute by various 4/5 stars

35.  A past Goodreads Choice Awards winner -

36.  A book set in the decade you were born -

37.  A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn't get to - Warcross by Marie Lu 3/5 stars

38.  A book with an ugly cover - The Homeward Bounders by Diana Wynne Jones 3/5 stars

39.  A book that involves a bookstore or library -

40.  Your favorite prompt from the 2015, 2016, or 2017 POPSUGAR Reading Challenges - Elantris by Brandon Sanderson (a book with a one-word title) 3/5 stars

Advanced

1.  A bestseller from the year you graduated high school - The Selection by Kiera Cass 3/5 stars

2.  A cyberpunk book -

3.  A book that was being read by a stranger in a public place

4.  A book tied to your ancestry -

5.  A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title -

6.  An allegory - Young Goodman Brown and Other Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne 4/5 stars

7.  A book by an author with the same first or last name as you -

8.  A microhistory -

9.  A book about a problem facing society today -

10.  A book recommended by someone else taking the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge -

Reading Challenge: April 2018

I had spring break this month, so I was able to read more books than ever. And what good books they were! This has been a great month for reading.

The Selection by Kiera Cass (a bestseller from the year you graduated high school)
Honestly? Not the best book I've ever read. The writing and the plot were pretty "eh" and predictable and the stakes never really felt real, but it's not a bad book. It's just . . . fine.

Warcross by Marie Lu (a book you meant to read in 2017 but didn't get to)
Suspenseful. Non-stop. Good, like I've come to expect from Lu. The ending felt weird, but I'm excited to read the next one.

A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf (a book about feminism)
I've been wanting to read this book since I read the excerpt about Shakespeare's sister. For someone who lived 100 years ago, Woolf really knows how to make life vivid and meaningful. In fact, it's almost sad that feminists of 100 years ago talked about things that are still a problem today.

Meet Cute by various (a book that's published in 2018)
Like the title implies, cute! Since this was written by several different authors, some of the stories were better than others, but all in all a good read.

An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield (a novel based on a real person)
Chris Hadfield is my hero. He debunks the stereotypes about astronauts so well. 

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson (a book with characters who are twins)
Nelson's writing is so vivid, it's like I'm there, feeling the pangs of young love and passion all over again. Her characters feel so real, so flawed, so stupid, so broken. There were some definite problems with the book too, but the good points pretty much made up for them.

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (a book about time travel)
Maybe I just don't get classics? but this book did not work for me. I liked (is that the right word?) the anti-war message, but I have no clue what time travel had to do with it all.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (a book by two authors)
Wow. This book got me to care about the characters so much I almost ripped out all of its pages and threw it across the room at one point (those of you who have read it KNOW WHAT PART), which isn't something I say often. Such a dark, intense book, but soooooo good.

Vicious by V.E. Schwab (a book about a villain or antihero)
There's nothing like an antihero to show that life isn't black and white and nothing is as it really seems. Vicious really goes to show how damaged even "good" people can be.

Also read, but not for the challenge:
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
Sanderson writes such interesting stories and worlds! I didn't like this one as much as I expected to (I felt like it had some wasted potential, and also needed a firmer editor), but such a good idea! And a deceptively simple ending.

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

Reading Challenge: March 2018

The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera (a book by an author of a different ethnicity than you)
I watched this movie years ago (can't really remember it), but I loved the mythological, magical feel behind the writing. This story felt timeless, like it could have happened now or thousands of years ago. Beautiful.

Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (the next book in a series you started)
Speaking of beautiful . . . I love the way Montgomery writes. Anne's life is pretty ideal, but it just shows lovely little world, from the point of view of a lovely girl.

No Easy Answers by Brooks Brown & Rob Merritt (true crime)
Fiction books tend to offer simple motives for their characters, but this book, written by a good friend of one of the Columbine shooters, offers no easy answers. In a time when school shootings are becoming more common than natural disasters, this shows that sometimes, you can know someone and still just . . . not know them.

The Homeward Bounders by Diana Wynne Jones (a book with an ugly cover)
Like many of Jones' books, the ending was hard to understand, and I feel that she didn't explain the ending as well as I would have liked, but I love how she weaves old stories into new tales.

Also read, but not for the challenge:

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
I did not like this book quite as much as I've liked others by Sanderson, but the world was richly and carefully built and the characters all felt different from each other — and I've never gone from hating a character to loving him so fast before.

Reading Challenge: February 2018

Matilda by Roald Dahl (a book made into a movie you've already seen)
One of my favorite RD books. It's honestly a highly improbable story (even without the magic), but fun and cute and quick.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz (a book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist)
WOW. Talk about slow burn. I don't know anything about being Mexican-American or gay or living in the '80s, but there was something about this book I could still relate to. Trying to find out who you are. Trying to connect with the people around you. Trying to find a place where I belong.

Reading Challenge: January 2018

Aida by Leontyne Price (a book that is also a stage play or musical)
I've owned this book of a loooooong time, which shouldn't surprise anyone who knows I am named after the opera. Leontyne Price played Aida for many years, and she has a beautiful voice. Honestly, the story of Aida doesn't capture me as much as it does some people; the Romeo and Juliet-type tragic love story feels a little old and makes me sad. But, the illustrations, done by Leo and Diane Dillon, are gorgeous and really go with the Egyptian/Ethiopian story. 

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale (a book set on another planet)
Kinda a stretch . . . but Mount Eskel is certainly not on Earth! A lovely, vivid story. Even though Miri feels left out in her miner town because her father won't let her into the quarry, she learns her worth as a girl and as a friend over the course of the novel.

Nine Tomorrows by Isaac Asimov (a book that you borrowed or was given to you as a gift)
This is my mom's favorite book, and for good reason. These stories really stand out as science fiction wonders. Some of them are funny, some are cringey, and some are heart-breaking.

Beast by Donna Jo Napoli (a book with an animal in the title)
I could easily imagine every moment in this book; the writing moves under its own weight, drawing the reader in. The plot and characters, however . . . leave much to be desired. Not a complete waste of time, but not a book I really want to think about again.

Smila's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg (Nordic noir)
This month was the month of lyrical books. Smila's Sense of Snow pulled me in with beautiful prose and characters . . . and then lost me with the snail pace. Seriously, this book was so slow. I am honestly surprised I managed to finish it. I would say this book is a lovely read if you can get through it.