Board (Bored?) Games
If you are a close friend of mine, you probably know that I dislike board games. In fact, as far as I can remember, I have never really enjoyed them. I would rather just converse with people and get to know them and have my thoughts stimulated. I was pleasantly surprised recently to find out that there are others who share my sentiment. To me boared games are just kind of...well...boring. I play them, and they are competitive, but I get no exercise. I have a few empty laughs, but I learn nothing about the people with whom I am playing. They are just not thought provoking...with rare exception.

I would rather just get together with some people and a cup of coffee and talk. The thing is, it seems like many people are scared of this. It's like they don't have any thoughts to share, or at least they don't want to share them. I get the feeling that some people have a hard time with candor. I'm not talking about being inappropriate in your conversation, though I have been accused of this. (and I'm working on it) I'm just talking about sincerely expressing an opinion on a subject. You don't even have to be certain about something to express your opinion on it. I think you can just be open with the what you know, and ask questions when you are ignorant on a subject.

Maybe I'm just weird, but I like to get to know people on a deeper level. "What do you do? How was your week? Did you catch the game?" chit chat doesn't do it for me. I like to find out people's views on issues. I enjoy discovering how their minds work. And I enjoy sharing with them. I'm not talking about revealing some deep, dark secret. I mentioned above that there is a certain level of appropriateness involved in every conversation. I just can't figure out why I hit these walls when I try to discuss things with certain people. These people have led interesting lives, had crazy experiences, and are fairly open people. But I bring up a theological or cultural or relational question and WHAM!!...the conversation stops. And I'm like, "Uhhh...cool."

So maybe it's just me. I'm an opinionated person. I have strong opinions and enjoy sharing them. Not everyone has a strong personality, but everyone has opinions and thoughts. Maybe I somehow overwhelm them with my own opinions. Maybe some people just don't have them. I don't know.

One thing is certain, however, conversing is not the only manner of getting to know someone (as one good friend whom I respect for her character and intellect reminded me). It is true. Seeing how people interact with each other or how they react to situations is also vital. So if you believe that a board game is a suitable environment in which to learn more about people and have your thoughts stimulated, by all means... But I encourage more creativity in the social arena.

I think the bottomline for me is that I think board games are boring and conversation isn't.