Sunday, July 17, 2016
Sunday Reflection: Pokemon Go
Sometimes in the summer, I ride my bike into work. On Friday I did, in fact, and it was glorious. I go up quiet streets, then around Lake Calhoun, to a tree-shaded trail and then over some prairie, then when the white stone of Target Field is right in front of me I take a right and go a few blocks to my school.
That day, on the way home, I stopped a bunch of times to play Pokemon Go. It turns out there are a lot of Pokemon on the shores of Lake Calhoun, so that took a while.
As I glided down the big hill on 56th, I thought about the game. You are supposed to "catch them all," but no one really does. Some people catch a lot, though-- they race from place to place, grabbing what they can, celebrating, then moving on. Others catch a few and then grow them up, a slow and lengthy process. A lot of people don't really figure out how it works and give up pretty fast, then make fun of the people who are playing.
It's tempting to say that "I know people who treat their lives like that, either dashing from one thing to another, or limiting themselves, or giving up," but the truth is that at one point or another I have been all of those. Sometimes just trying to gather up experiences or things, other times avoiding the world to focus on something intently, and too often just giving up.
I wish that there was a version of Pokemon Go without the Pokemon. You would walk to a spot, and there would be a bird, or an old house or a good strong bridge. And that would be enough.
That day, on the way home, I stopped a bunch of times to play Pokemon Go. It turns out there are a lot of Pokemon on the shores of Lake Calhoun, so that took a while.
As I glided down the big hill on 56th, I thought about the game. You are supposed to "catch them all," but no one really does. Some people catch a lot, though-- they race from place to place, grabbing what they can, celebrating, then moving on. Others catch a few and then grow them up, a slow and lengthy process. A lot of people don't really figure out how it works and give up pretty fast, then make fun of the people who are playing.
It's tempting to say that "I know people who treat their lives like that, either dashing from one thing to another, or limiting themselves, or giving up," but the truth is that at one point or another I have been all of those. Sometimes just trying to gather up experiences or things, other times avoiding the world to focus on something intently, and too often just giving up.
I wish that there was a version of Pokemon Go without the Pokemon. You would walk to a spot, and there would be a bird, or an old house or a good strong bridge. And that would be enough.
