Ahmad Al Charif

“It will be the battle of a century!” He said to me. “Tonight of all nights, on this beautiful and magical evening filled with hope, i shall beat you once and for all! Victory, is mine!”

I smiled, as i looked at him. I smiled because i knew for a fact, that what he was saying was impossible, beyond a shred of doubt in my mind. Past experiences have stood in awe and testimony to my countless victories, an his endless defeats. And yet, there he stood before me, once again in defiance: Eyes glistening with hope and determination, body overflowing with the energy and excitement to win, our clash begins.

He sits next to me, as our epic battle ensues: Nightwolf vs Raiden*.

He frets, he yells, he screams, but he looses. “Again”, he begs of me. I humor him, again and again, but the outcome never differs. The process however fascinates me beyond the game itself, and i find myself asking my little brother of 8 years questions, intrigued by his never ending hope, tantalized by his unwillingness to surrender.

You never win, i said to him. “One day i will”, he replies. Not against me, i respond. He plays on, desperately trying to achieve victory, but he looses for the hundredth time. I smile, and rub his head as i give him pointers, and try to help him get better. Suddenly, mid-game, he says the darnedest thing: “You told me if i kept trying, and practicing, i would win. You told me if i don’t give up, i will get better. You said quitters are losers. And i am not a quitter.”

Kids will believe anything you tell them. Really, they will. But most importantly, they will believe in themselves. We as adults don’t believe in much anymore. Not even in ourselves. And would you picture that, two extremes, none willing to budge.

How about as adults, we compromise and meet them halfway, and everybody wins? How about for once, we change our habits, and insist on achieving victory? My brother actually beat me that night, much to my shock and disbelief. He danced around the room, parading around like an idiot, as he watched his “trusty” Raiden perform the most gruesome fatality** on my defeated Nightwolf.

Against all odds. Against all previous experiences. Victory, is never impossible.

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* Raiden and Nightwolf are fictional characters in the popular hit game “Mortal Kombat”

** Upon achieving victory, a player may choose to perform a fatality on his opponent, ending the match. It is usually a gruesome action,  ending in the most horrifying of deaths.