I would never!

Last month, when I visited Ben and Lisa in Seattle, I introduced them to the game 2048. I've been playing it off and on obsessively since I first heard about it, and find it mindlessly addicting (addictingly mindless?). When I want to think about something, but want my eyes and hands otherwise occupied by something that doesn't really need any attention put to it, I'll open the app on my phone and start playing.

I was playing the game during some down time when Ben noticed, and I showed the two of them the game. I zoomed along, playing for a bit, talking through what moves I made and why. I made the classic mistake of an experienced player when describing my moves: I explained what I was doing, without explaining the why, or leading either of them through the learning process of the tactics. Which is fine, I guess, as they can develop their own techniques if they decide to play enough.

I had also handed my phone to Eli with the app running. After I explained only the barest of rules to him ("If you swipe two numbers that are the same together, they will combine. See, look, 4 and 4 together make 8, and 8 and 8 together make 16. What do 16 and 16 make?"), I watched him play. He figured it out fairly quickly, and was able to answer "32!" in short order. He played for a while as we were driving back from our cabin adventure, with Eli managing to get to 256 before our drive ended. I think he managed 512 before too long.

Later in the evening, Lisa pulled up the game, and I leaned over into her shoulder to watch her play. I made a couple play suggestions, and offered that playing the combinations into a corner protects the higher numbers, giving more space for building lower combinations. At one point, Lisa made a move, to which I commented, "I would never do that."

And it's been bugging me ever since I said it.

Saying, "I would never" is just a call to fate to say, "What a load of shit." Of course, I could make the same play that Lisa made. Of course, I likely HAVE made the play she made. Of course, as I keep playing, I'm going to make the same play again.

The absolute of the statement "I would never..." bugs the crap out of me. There are so few absolutes in the world. When it comes to people, there are even fewer absolutes. People do shit. People change their minds. People change. Circumstances change. Life happens. To say, "I would never..." dismisses the ability for people to change, dismisses the realization that people are fallible, dismisses the opportunity for people to rise above their current situation and become more than they currently are.

So, yeah, "I would never..." is bullshit. I did, so clearly I would.

Now, would I do it again?

I hope not.