The first and most fundamental lesson anyone
should learn about ANY sportive pursuit comes from a
book entitled "The Macheide". In the early 1900s a
great mathematician, World Chess Champion and friend
of Albert Einstein, EMANUAL LASKER, observed:
"The perfection of an endeavour destroys it".
Spectating the perfect golfer may SOUND like
fun, until the fans get TERRIBLY BORED watching the
millionth consecutive hole-in-one. Golf would go the
way of tic-tac-toe (X's and O's). Seeing the perfect
baseball team slug one home run after another out of
the park would, eventually, drive the spectators out
of the park, too!
Hence, we play bridge BECAUSE of our mistakes,
not IN SPITE of them. Once our slip-ups are eliminated,
bridge will lose its fascination and we will move on
to other challenges. UNTIL THEN, though, we can enjoy
bridge's myriad aspects. :)
We must NEVER get dispirited by a session in
which we may make a few miscues. This is tantamount
to feeling awkward about being sick...IN A HOSPITAL!
We are all here to learn.
The grand paradox of bridge is that it is a
collective effort to eliminate the very imperfections
which draw us together to play it! :)
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"...I came to find a reason to leave..."
- from "The Helvetian Diaries"
