Often people ask the question, “what is the meaning of life?” Instead, I am sitting here wondering, “what is the meaning of badminton?" or more importantly, what is the meaning of badminton to me. Late Friday evening is a great time to think deeper than we normally do, there is no stress from having to go to work the next day, the brain is full of energy from all the badminton excitement in the ev
ening. But as the evening quiets down, all neighbors are asleep, it is the best time to ponder about the deeper side of life. Even when we are off, the true addicts will be thinking about badminton moves and simulating games in their head during sleepy hours and at work. Face it, there are many of us who live and breathe badminton. While we are engrossed in such a great activity, I think we need to routinely ask ourselves, what really do badminton mean to us. Is it just a pass time? an exercise? a social gathering? A way to meet girls? Or just an addiction that probably requires therapy to shake off? So here is the list I came up with for me:
Exercise – sure, I don’t think anybody can deny that badminton is great exercise. I was telling on of my more senior colleague about a recent illness that I have. What he told me really made sense, he says there is a certain transition period in life where problems here and there will start to creep up. Like a 2-3 years old car, problem will start to come up. Staying fit and doing exercise will certain help staying healthy. Social – I get to meet a lot of people and made a lot of friends from playing badminton. It just happens that almost everybody who plays badminton are nice friendly people. Furthermore, it is a great way to spend time together with my family. Brain exercise – badminton isn’t just a exercise of the muscles, but also the brain. A game of badminton is like a game of chess, I have to make the right moves to come out ahead of my opponents. Having to sit in a cubicle all day, doing a different brain exercise is quite refreshing. Passion – live and breathe badminton, passion is what fuels me in badminton. Passion is what made me created BadmintonCentral.com. Addiction – like passion, I am also addicted. This is not a recent phenomenon. If you had known me when I was 12, and then you see me again now, you will not be surprised that I am still playing badminton. The addiction has been there since I first picked up my racket. Even so, after listed the above, I find that neither individually nor as a whole do they really define the essence or the meaning of badminton to me. I was left more puzzled than I was in the beginning. Then I realize, perhaps there really isn’t any need to know the meaning of badminton, as it is so ingrained inside, it is akin to a personality. Imagine the following :
Mom : “why are you so stubborn?”
Son : “that’s the way I am!”
So I still cannot answer the original question, what is the meaning of badminton to me. But from trying to answer the question, I realized the following:
“Badminton, that’s the way I am.”
