Bryanna Moppins

T each me the rules of life,
E ven if there are liars and cheaters
T rying to trick me into an idealistic victory.
R esist taking the shortcuts because
I n the end, the true winner will
S urmount all competition and will then proceeed to fail again.

I never realized how much I hid behind my computer screen playing Tetris. There could be a million things to do with my friends at the mall or a plethora of reality TV shows to catch up on and yet I would still choose to play Tetris—why? It gave me a sense of control. No matter how fast those blocks would fall down, I could solidify them row by row and vanish them in seconds. I felt powerful. For the first time in my life, my only competition was myself.
I was always taught to be the best that I could be, but somehow I misinterpreted that to mean: win by any means necessary. That included taking shortcuts and pushing people down just so I could remain undefeated. My mentality was misguided. Who would have thought that a simple computer game could navigate me to the right path? I now realize that there can never be a true winner; there will always be someone out there who can break your record and surpass your “Top Score.” Our sole responsibility is to improve on our craft and encourage others to do the same.