The World of Six: Pathways Level 1 (2022)
By Saai Syvendra ·
In your respective families, who is the most important out of all? When I was asked similar questions about my family, my sports team and other such groups that I was a part of, I wasn't able to answer them. If you feel the same, let me introduce you to the World of Six. A concept that helped me answer those questions. Toastmaster of the day and my fellow Toastmasters, welcome to the World of Six.
The World of Six revolves around my family and the much-respected Game of Chess. In the game of chess, there are six unique pieces. Those are the Pawn, the Knight, the Bishop, the Rook, the Queen and the King. These six pieces represent my family members. Why do I say so? Hear me out
The first one. My younger brother, aka The Bishop. The Bishop can move diagonally in either the light squares or the dark squares. It will never move to the opposite coloured square for the entirety of the game. My younger brother is similar to this Bishop. When he sets up a target he will work hard to achieve it no matter what but he won't even consider it if it's something he doesn't want to do.
The second one. My elder brother, aka The Rook. The Rook is a piece which isn't active during the opening of the game. At certain times it is strong during the middle game but towards the end game, it becomes one of the strongest on the board. Similarly, my elder brother is a silent character. If he gets a chance in the middle game he will definitely grab that opportunity and execute. If he does not get it he will wait patiently till the end game to capitalise on his strength.
The third one. My dad, aka The Knight. The Knight is one of its kind. It is the only piece that can move over other pieces in an L-shape-like path. It is a strategic piece. Similarly, my dad can overcome any obstacle on his way just like the Knight, using his strategic thinking. Furthermore, a Knight can attack many strong pieces at once. Similarly, my dad can face multiple different obstacles at the same time as if it is a piece of cake.
The fourth one. My mum, not the Queen but the Pawn in this world of six. Unlike other pieces, the Pawn has a unique characteristic. When it reaches the last row of the board, it can promote itself to any of the other pieces excluding the King. Pawns are the first line of defence for all the other pieces. Similarly, my mother is the backbone of my family. She takes multiple roles to help us out with anything, just as the Pawn takes multiple roles when it is promoted. May it be; a chef, a teacher, a mentor, a doctor, you name it she has been that.
Initially, I thought that my dad was the King and my mom was the Queen. I wasn't exactly correct. It turns out that I am the King. Not for the reasons you might think but for others. For me to realise the truth in this matter, I have to be thankful for those lockdowns we had during the pandemic. Before lockdown, I would spend 9 to 11 hours at school every day. I literally go home just to eat and sleep. I never knew what happened at home nor do I take an interest in learning it, just like the King. Though the king is the most valuable piece on the board, it has the least involvement in the game. There is no game without the king, but there is no king without the pieces.
Who is the most important out of all? Is it the tenacious Bishop, the steadfast Rook, the strategic Knight, the selfless Pawn or the valuable King? It turns out to be the combination of all of them, the sixth and the final member in this world of six, teamwork, aka the Queen is the answer. Teamwork might not be a physical member but it is definitely part of our family. A Queen can move along the diagonals like a Bishop, move along the files and ranks like a Rook, attack multiple strong pieces like a Knight, be promoted to live by a pawn and assists the King in the game. Just as how Queen is a combination of other pieces, Teamwork is a combination of the family members. Thus, I consider it my very own family member. My family without teamwork is similar to a player without a Queen in a game of chess.
It is because of teamwork that a family, a sports team or any other such group exists. It makes the strength of all as one and the weakness of them as none. The World of Six is not just my family cause six is not the number of people in that world, it is the sixth one in my world; teamwork. The World of Six, The World of Teamwork.
#Pathways
#Level1
#2022