Why Wager?
“Wager” reminds me of its sister word gamble and past images of Monte Carlo casino, Casino di Venezia and L’ancien casino de Nice and Radisson Grand Lucayan in Freeport, the Bahamas of which, for me, they all belong to thornful moments of blind hope.
I was about to start on the revision of some chapters in my work-in-progress manuscript, so I clicked youtube and chose an hour of non-stop French music of Alizee – Mes courants electriques full album when I was caught off guard by the publicity of Johnny Walker Blue Label, so I took a pause and enjoyed this video:
That is one example of a gentleman’s wager. Such wager starts from attraction, the dawn of unique ideas and a challenge, then continue towards planning, preparation, execution, reward or consequence, calm appreciation and momentary fulfilment. At the end, when hearts are sport and humble to accept either a loss or gain, the chain of acquiring a particular way of getting from nothing to something goes again in a vicious chain of another challenging wager. In any bet, there is a fool and a thief. So, you may wonder where does the wise moment kicks in?
What about when we hope? Do we wager? Do we bet with a certain future when we expect too much? There are many kinds of hope, the most common: the realistic hope and the stubborn blind hope. I had been in both situations, and it is such prolonged agony and pain matched with some years of loss when I hoped with obstinate heart at a visionless end. While I realised I could be wiser in hoping on practical promising moments and situations where I know I’ll grow in happiness and leave an unforgettable mark in the hearts of whom I met along that road.
Have you ever wondered how a lady wagers? She can gamble with: time, love, feelings, judgement, the colour of any material she is passionate about and wager with luck. Depending on the person’s character, attitude and values in life, a loser in a stake can grow lava of vengeful thoughts either carried out upon or not. It can also ignite earthquakes of anger which can go off and on many times. It can create envy, despair and loss versus victorious happiness of having won. However, does anyone win in a wager?
Many of us know that luck never gives. It can only offer with a relative conditional consequence or reward. A Chinese proverb reminds us:
“If you must play, decide upon three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes and the quitting time.”
Keeping in mind the advantage of knowledge over matters we are dealing with, resourcefulness related to caution to avoid pitfalls and knowing how to go about from A to B until Z until we thrive on the current predicament. Whatever we bet on, we wager to risk something: some objects, some situations, some people and the worst part, the peace of mind and serenity of a heart. So, as you reflect on it, how often do we wager on what life has to offer or how we make out of life before and after adversity. Why wager on some unavoidable situations? Why risk to love, live, hope, try, reach out, laugh or cry as we place ourselves, our ideas, our passion and our memorable masterpiece in life?
“He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; He who keeps understanding will find good.” ~ Proverbs 19:8
Why wager to win when we can patiently work hard towards true fulfilment?
~ Angelica Hopes, Landscapes of Inspirational Thoughts
© Ana Angelica Abaya van Doorn
