As a kid, I drew mazes all the time. I even drew one that measured something like 12 sheets of paper (taped together into a 2 x 3 piece), which took me about a week to draw--nobody was willing to attempt it though. In the distant past, labyrinths were used as holy symbols that offered healing and other kinds of magic. But, mazes have also entered stories (like with the minotaur) as places so fiendishly difficult to solve that it's actually impossible to find your way out of them. Because of this background, mazes are usually thought of as really hard.
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| Is this difficult? Or, is it mind-churningly crazy? |
Isn't it funny how quickly we allow ourselves to give up if things are difficult? I'm incredibly competitive, but it's actually tempting to give myself a pass when something is "hard." I've seen this happen to many people, and watch with great interest. Of course, just because we're tempted to quit doesn't make us follow along with the impulse, and hopefully we push through when it's important. Not everything is worth banging your head against the wall just so you can say you finished.
Maybe it's because we dislike being made into fools, so when things are said to be really hard we either go crazy trying to complete the task or shrug and give up. There's a bunch of silly games which double down on this concept and drive it to infinity--basically they make a maze-like arena and create insane difficulties where you are either a god of games or turn into a blithering idiot as you scream at the screen (yep, they're also called "rage games." Play "Cat Mario" and you'll see what I mean). Sometimes difficult is an accurate descriptor and it's wise to pay attention.
- M
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