Arcade
So, there's this arcade in the mall near my home, and it's genuinely well done! The concept of the arcade is fantastic and bigger than most arcades I’ve seen. They even have a few rides and installations that are pretty huge for a mall setting. What’s surprising is that even elders seemed to be enjoying these rides. The vibe is infectious – I love the energy, the noise, everything!
We initially planned to visit the bookstore nearby but ended up getting drawn into the arcade. They had these fun stalls where you could try to win toys. One stall had a game where you had to get rubber balls into big buckets to win a toy. Another stall involved throwing plastic balls to break plates, and you needed to break two plates in three or four attempts to win. There were two similar stalls, where the goal was to win a toy by completing a seemingly simple task.
Preeti and I tried all four stalls, and we spent close to 1100 rupees on multiple attempts. Our excuse? We wanted to win a toy for Mudra. That was a pretty solid incentive! Of course, Mudra wasn’t too thrilled about not being able to participate or see what was happening initially. But once we picked her up from her stroller and showed her what we were doing, she got involved and started having fun.
Interestingly, despite our efforts, we didn’t win anything. We tried to be smart and focused and even develop strategies to win. But in reality, we were mostly relying on luck and even asking for divine intervention. This experience made me realize something important: instead of figuring out how to achieve goals using our abilities, we put too much faith in luck.
I’ve noticed this tendency in myself before. I often undermine my intelligence, commitment, and hard work and overemphasize the role of luck in my achievements. Relying too much on external forces can make you overlook your own abilities and intelligence. It’s a pretty bad habit.