whaack

I remember BingoBoingo used to ask this question to newcomers in the old bitcoin assets channel. Somehow this seemed to offend people. It was rarely, if ever, answered directly. People are bothered by the idea of manifest destiny. They have difficulty accepting that their environment shapes who they are.

Well I am my father’s son, and there's no denying that I inherit a lot of traits from him. So without further ado let me answer the question.

My dad is Ronald Haack, a retired pro bridge player. He invested all his energy into a card game. He often procrastinates and struggles to get the important things in life done. But when it comes to the card game bridge, there are very few that can match his intelligence and energy.

So what exactly is this card game bridge? Why is it played by a small group of fanatics and a bunch of wealthy old people? Why did my dad dedicate his life to this card game?

It is the most interesting way to make use of 52 cards. The appeal of bridge comes from the unraveling of a mystery with every hand. Through the bidding and play of the cards, a story is told. You and your partner must collaborate to piece that story together and play your cards accordingly.

Bridge¹ imitates life. Sometimes you’re dealt a good hand, sometimes you’re dealt a shit hand. In any event, you must always make the best of what you got. You must make decisions with imperfect information and adjust any inferences you've made as more information becomes available.

Ultimately, bridge is a fascinating triviality. And this fascination with trivialities is something that I inherited from my father. Almost all of my effort gets spent on games and pleasure. And now, just like my father, I've begun to invest an incredible amount of time playing bridge. It's not something I'm exactly proud of, but nevertheless it's part of who I am.

1. Bridge has fallen out of popularity in the last 50 years. Bridge requires honor. It is a beautiful game, but it does not work if you cannot trust your opponents to not cheat. It takes an active effort to make sure that the only way you communicate your hand to your partner is through your bidding and your play of cards. [↩]

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 17th, 2023 at 10:44 p.m. and is filed under Reflection. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.