Chess and Mental Health
Chess, is simple terms, is a board game that requires future-thinking and emotional regulation.
However, when we abstract it to its philosophical components, it is actually a mental health device. I will try to make my case for chess as a way to help us comprehend our mental health struggles.
When you play chess, there is always a spectrum of possible moves that are
1. Playable 2. Good/Bad and 3. Based on reasons
Within the scope of decisions we make in life, it is not too different, but there is more randomness in life. Furthermore, emotions tend to hit harder when we fail in life, as life is not a linear thing.
But nevertheless, if we think about life in chess terms, we realize this:
1. We always have to make decisions. We are not able to assess the goodness and badness of those decisions in real time, but we must be confident enough to make reasonable decisions.
2. We are not always going to make the right decisions (best move), but we can make reasonable decisions more often (playable move or move that doesn't worsen our position).
3. Our battle is not with an opponent (outside world) but with ourselves (inner self). Knowing this, we cannot blame the game (life) or external factors (randomness/causality) for our own shortcomings.
Mental health encapsulates the categories of self-love/self-acceptance first, and then taking that and transforming it into active accountability. Bad chess players are lazy thinkers; they do not wish to push themselves to calculate an outcome to its logical conclusion. Furthermore, there are chess players who play well enough, but are not able to have a stable grasp on their game (impulsivity).
Chess is a "purely rational" activity. However, human beings are incapable of this, as they're not engines (emotionless beings). Human beings who play perfect chess do not exist.
With this in mind, we have to accept our inability to be perfect if we are to become better.
1. We are rational, but we have to keep our emotions in check if we are to be truly rational.
2. We make moves (decisions) without knowing their consequences, and have to accept this.
3. We cannot control anything except ourselves (the player). The board (life) will reflect that.
With that being said, I believe chess to be a very interesting activity for the ego, for self-awareness, and for questioning our own process of thinking. It's hard to cover everything, but this is my first try.
Thank you, and any feedback would be highly appreciated.