Mahjong Life and Living

I am sorry to say: The riichi community is fractured .  This is natural due to three main reasons: Geography, Circumstance, and Personalities. People in different areas tend to group together.  Anyone outside that group is viewed as a stranger.  Our response to " stranger danger " differs from person-to-person.  The variance falls on our ability to be welcoming or not.  This is assuming people of one language.  The natural barrier stems from people of different languages.  That's a whole different set of separation altogether. I learned to be welcoming.  For the sake of my own club, I cannot afford not to be.  As long as a person plays mahjong, then the player is welcome unless there is a reason not to be.  If a person is new or visiting, it is best to get a game together and know the person a bit as possible. What about the Internet?  Here, geography is irrelevant, as we are capable of interacting with anyone on Earth at any ...

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...