Mahjong Life and Living

No, I am not ending my mahjong life any time soon .  Instead, I ask a question with a very obvious answer: Can people leave mahjong? In other words, can people stop playing and completely disassociate with everything mahjong related?  The natural and obvious answer: Of course!    An end is inevitable for each and every one of us.  The method of end will very though.  The contrary would violate the freedom noted in "my" Prime Directive .  No one should ever be forced to play; and by extension, no one should be forced to associate with an activity and its people.  So, this idea extends to all other activity.  I am very much in support of volunteerism. Have I seen people leave?   Yes, of course.  People come and go in all activity, and mahjong is no different.  It is the natural order.  Some departures feel sadder than others.  I know some who have quit and sold their sets.  It was a sad sig...

At Anime Central last May , I got the chance to ask Mai Nakahara a mahjong question.  I asked her: To prepare for the role of Miyanaga Teru, did you learn/play mahjong? Initially, her answer wished that she could.  However, she was not into gambling. Immediately afterwards, I had to clarify by pointing out "kenkou mahjong", or clean non-gambling mahjong.  There, she iterated the word "shoubu".  So, her follow up answer noted how personality can reflect in a person's play.  So, she feared showing bad parts to her personality. She's right.  We put ourselves into the mahjong, as we express ourselves via our decision making abilities.  Everyone can point to the luck factors of mahjong.  Yet, the one thing we can control in the game is ourselves and what we do.  This concept is true in life. The real life example here.  I could have cowered and sat in the audience.  I never would have gone to ask the question.  I have ...

Games are supposed to be fun.  Now, I ask myself some questions and answer them as best as I could: So, if we put the social element into mahjong, what do we get?   Social mahjong. What do we do in social mahjong?  Well, we play a game of mahjong, where the result has no impending consequence, such as league or tournament standing.  Gambling mahjong is a completely different category, which can be played socially but the monetary consequences disqualify it. How is social mahjong played?  Casually but players could still try their best to win.  At best, it can be considered as practice.  As a game, mahjong has its objectives, and we normally go for them (regardless of the game).  While that may defeat the purpose of the gamem it is a matter of playing how the players want to play. Is winning/losing important?   Even though we try, it is not important.  Though, the most enjoyable games are the ones where players try their best. ...

All who enter this game    Began a journey Where no path is the same. Whichever form we choose    We walk a path of new Experience as we win or lose. A long, treacherous way of pain    Yet, we continue to learn With knowledge each day we gain. Just talk to every player    You will hear a different Story, layer by layer. We all have our joys and tears    For the game brings out Either the best of us or our fears. How long do we continue,    I wonder as we walk With no end seemingly in view? With mahojng of all things    We subject ourselves to all That this game brings. So as you play, I suggest    That you only do so By playing your best. With irrelevance, regardless of skill    To the game, you bring Yourself, your spirit, and your will. In doing so, you can grow    Within this game, in your Journey, the more you know. As you play, it is you who de...

To you? It is one of the many key questions to living.  We must ask ourselves: "What is important (to me)?"  In doing so, we manage to set our priorities and our values.  From there, we direct our efforts towards our goals and what not. How does this connect to mahjong?  Simple, we deal with this question with each and every tile draw.  Every tile call and every riichi applies too.  We are faced with many game states asking this question.  WWYD (What would you do) questions allow us to look at these situations with greater time, detail, and collaboration. Here, what would you do? Do you value your hand? Do you value staying safe? Do you want everything? Are you hungry? What is important to you? Such are the questions.  Just in case you're curious, here was the result of the above hand .