The coach and the player

The coach and the player

“There is a time for the coach and a time for the players. The coach is a visionary, he gives the strategy, he loves his team, he inspires them, he gives them all he has, he wants for them to achieve their goals. Once the game begins, he cannot come and play the match for you, much as he may be wanting to”.

The snake was dismayed at the last words.

“But, there is a saving grace”, continued the Yogi. “Even a bad match, during which the players need guidance, has an interval. When, the players meet the coach again, and he gives an ‘on the spot strategy’. More often than not, this changes the whole game.
So, it is with life. We are the players, the coach, is God, it is all designed for joy. But sometimes we have a goal to achieve, a promise to keep, sometimes we have to win this game for the coach. He will tell us how, but it is we, who shall have to take our own minute decisions.
The coach trains many players. He always keeps in mind the strength and weaknesses of the previous players. He records the experience of all previous matches, and uses this to train a new team. Players, of all times, belong to the coach, but every time the game season is on, the matches belong to the players. Momentous transmissions take place when the coach trains players to coach fellow players, and you have Rama, Krishna, Jesus, Vivekananda”, said the Yogi.

( from the book The Yogi and the snake )