Don't go alone

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2016 was a hard year. As it drew ever so slowly to a close, we at BBC found ourselves holding our collective breath. Waiting. Was one more bad thing going to befall the world before this year drew its close?

We catch ourselves projecting onto 2017 a great many expectations. The more optimistic among us thinking: “You’ve got to be better.” The more realistic adding: “Surely you can’t be any worse.” Put another way: As this new year begins to unfold, we wonder: just what level of the rpg[1] are we at?

Dragon Age Inquisition[2] clip:

Role playing games are known for their misdirection. You think you’re at the end, but you’ve only just begun. From a logistical game play standpoint this makes sense; you want to keep the player invested and engaged. But this move only works because it mimics the way life itself moves: A journey peopled with a collection of characters for whom there is neither a discernable beginning nor a concrete end. It is the moment of now that we have, both in life and in the games we play.

Projecting, worrying, screening for what is to come in 2017 is a normal human response. It is a response that is understandably amplified this year. We encourage you to remember that what we have is the present now. In that now, we can choose to move towards connection, compassion, and care for ourselves and others. In that now, we can both ask for help and offer help.

As we embark on 2017, BBC invites you to remember that you do not have to make this journey alone. The Legend of Zelda taught us it’s safer to go together.

Screenshot of Zelda: "It's dangerous to go alone! Take this."

 

  1. Role-playing-game. We at BBC are big fans of both the board game and video game varieties. 

  2. BBC is in no way profiting from mentioning Dragon Age: Inquisition. We - ok maybe just one of us - really dig the game and think that it works for this extended metaphor.