Countdown: 1 Day

So it looks like me trying to finish Basic Techniques of Go is going to be overly ambitious, but that’s okay. I think I’m in good shape to finish up the other two by tomorrow, and I’m happy with that result. I know that there are those who were skeptical of my one week hiatus since the number one advice for improving (in general) is getting experience by playing games.

My reason for going against that advice is that Zhang Yunqi once said that go required “the tactic of the soldier, the exactness of the mathematician, the imagination of the artist, the inspiration of the poet, the calm of the philosopher, and the greatest of intelligence.” In other literature I’ve read, I’ve also heard that Go is 98% patience.

Over this week, I’ve spent a lot of time working on my “calm of the philosopher.” I know that it’s not a simple project that can be perfected in a short amount of time, but I think that I’ve gotten somewhere. In addition to the reading and training I’ve been doing, I’ve done a lot of introspection and meditation as well. I know people may think that this may seem a bit much for “a game,” but one of the most attractive points about Go is the fact that it is a game about self-improvement.

A person never truly stands still. We either move forward or move backward, like a raft trying to work its way upstream. I believe I can find the way to my own growth through this game, and I will use my utmost efforts in that pursuit.