Saturday, August 2, 2014

Minecraft - Enemies and Friends!

I love the long conversations we have every morning, as soon as Raghav wakes up, even if they mostly focus on Minecraft  these days, about which I know very little! That time is precious, as of late it has been the only time in the day when Raghav gives me his complete attention and is away from the iPad, besides ofcourse the time we go cycling. And so, it is almost like a morning song for me. I love listening to his words with their characteristic cadence, his recent switch from a predominantly British accent to the new sing-song American accent, words rolling like marbles over his tongue, and his inimitable expressions that accompany them. I wouldn't want to exchange this time for anything else in the world! :)

A few days ago, Raghav and I were in the midst of one such morning conversation, that sometimes can last for more than an hour. He was wanting me to learn some of the characters in Minecraft (creepers, endermen, ghasts, zombies, etc.), what they do, how they can be destroyed and so on. He was explaining to me why they were enemies and how one could tame them and make them one's friends, so that they would help you against other enemies. It sounded interesting and I was all ears!

Here is what he said:

"Amma, they are your enemies, but you can tame them. To tame them, you have to destroy them or kill them first. Then, they will leave something behind, which you can take and use to tame them and make them your friends....and what they drop or leave behind is what is precious to them and they use to attack you sometimes...so if you pick that up when they get destroyed, and right click on that, you will see lot of hearts coming out, which means that you start loving them, and then they will become your minion and help you....so even though they were your enemies, you can make them your friends by loving them and by using their weapon to make them your friend."

What a wonderful life lesson learned through play! Yes, ultimately love is the only emotion that has the power to break a heart open to love isn't it?