An Allegory Of Chess

So, you think chess is men's game? Here I am, the king, supposedly the most prestigious and powerful among all game pieces. But what power do I have? I am absolutely powerless. Even a pawn has more powers than I do, for he can become any other game piece, except for myself (why should he?), if he reaches the other end in the checkerboard. Moreover, he can leap two squares on its first move, and then on, a square at a time, whereas I cannot move more than a square at a time given any situation. You might say, oh, you can move in all directions as well as diagonally while a pawn cannot move sideways or backwards except that he can move diagonally forward when there is an opponent. Big deal!

Now, let me talk about the horse. He is not just a generic horse; he is a relatively special breed. He is so unique that he has got privileges that none of the game pieces have, not even me. Rest assured, he seems to live in hyperspace, different from ours, where space is warped and there are hidden wormholes to jump around from place to place. By that I mean the same three-dimensional world in which the rest of us live is of four dimensions exclusively for him as he can hop over any of us who stand on the way to his destination. Moreover, his moves, unlike those of the rest of us, are typically non-linear. He can move two squares in any direction and a square left or right, traversing an "L". Enough about us finites, those of us who can only move a limited number of squares. Now, let me talk about the non-finites-those who can literally move infinitely many squares on a single move although the checkerboard allows for only up to eight squares. The rook can move straight in all directions as long as there is nothing in between him and his destination. The bishop has similar moves as the rook except that it is shifted forty-five degrees either ways. And finally, may I present you, Her Highness the queen, who undoubtedly acclaims her superiority by having both the powers of the rook and the bishop juxtaposed!

Now, where does that leave me? The queen entertains combined powers of the rook and the bishop; the horse is special on his own right; and even the puny little pawn is powerful enough to become anyone of those up in the power hierarchy. Why am I the king and yet deprived of all the powers? What is the purpose of my existence? What good is a king if he is deprived of privileges that others naturally have? Why do I always feel as if I have been chained? Is there a hidden wall around me so as to be manipulated by the queen? Why am I subjected to live my life full of fears? Well, I might appease myself saying, " I am the king. My job is to rule and the rest of them are my puppets that must obey my orders. And as far as defeating the other king and expanding my territory is concerned, every single one of them works for my goal." But let me pause here. Is that an illusion with which I have been living my life so far? Is there a wall around my mind that keeps me from thinking freely? Where exactly does my existence lie? Just who robbed my free will?

Obviously, I am not the predominant figure. Somebody else is-the one who is on the move driven by passion for power. The queen desires to conquer the world with whatever help she can get from the elites, who in exchange, work their way up to exploit the people, who take pride in their status and make someone like me a king so that under his shadow they can pursue their own interests. On the contrary, the people, who tend only not to be oppressed by the elites, take pride in their status and wish to make someone like me a king so as to be defended by his authority when oppressed by so called "the elites". But, fortunately, I am the people's king. Therefore, I can regain my power and establish myself to be strong, for I did not rely only upon my fortune but on the invaluable consent of the people. Among the three faces of power-wealth, force, and consent-I have all three. Despite that, why am I still so powerless? No matter how much I delve into self- analysis, I'm always l ed to the same epicenter of all problems-inaction.

Yes, I admit that I have been as idle as a hibernating frog. I admit that I have failed to put my powers into action. I admit that I have deliberately failed to live up to my potential. As best as I recollect my past, I have done nothing in particular that would benefit the people, my people. I am guilty of having been totally immersed into the abyss of selfish love and pleasure. I have been disillusioned by the elitist mirage falling upon the sand dunes of my palace. But I have now awakened to reality. Only now, I am beginning to recount my epiphany that a man's actions determine how powerful he is, not his pedigree or blue blood.