Do you remember playing musical chairs when you were little? It was popular at kiddie birthday parties. Outside of eating birthday cake (preferably chocolate), it was often one of the highlights.

The Birthday Party Game

A group of kids would get together and enough chairs would be put out for all but one of them. The party host turned on some music, something fun and energetic, and the kids danced around the chairs. When the song was turned off, all the kids scrambled for a seat. One poor kid would not get one and he would be “out”. A chair was taken away, and the remaining kids tried again. It went on and on until there was a winner.

As kids, this was usually a blast. We danced, we laughed, we joked, and we won prizes for not sharing and, for the more aggressive players, shoving other people off chairs. Come to think of it, that may not be the best lesson for young children to learn. Still, musical chairs is only meant to be a game, a playful competition.

Ellen’s Game of Games

It’s not surprising there was an adult version of the game! One of the quirky games played on Ellen’s Game of Games was “Blindfolded Musical Chairs”. Five grown-ups (if you can call them that) are blindfolded and set on a small dance floor. They dance around to pop tunes, and they ham it up big time. There is not a chair to be found. After all, think of the liability if someone were to fall on one and get hurt when blindfolded.

Then again, forget the liability. The contestants obviously signed waivers! When the music gets turned off, stools rise from the dance floor and the contestants drop to the ground, crawling around blindly until they find a seat to sit on. The person who does not find one is escorted off the stage, and so it goes until there is one person left sitting.

As an audience, it is fun to watch, and as a contestant, it must be even more fun to play. Adults are rarely given permission to let go and be silly these days, to put their inner child on full display. It was refreshing and nostalgic at the same time.

The Game of Life

When we play musical chairs at birthday parties and on game shows, we know that it is all in good fun. Everyone knows the rules and no one is hurt. The game is for everyone’s enjoyment.

When you think of it though, life as an adult is not too different from a game of musical chairs. Except, instead of being fun and lighthearted, it can turn into something more cutthroat and jaded.

In real life, many people may apply for the same job. Many people may be in line for the same promotion. Maybe multiple people have the hots for the same man or woman. You get the idea. People compete with each other, and while that is normal and appropriate most of the time, it takes a dark turn when people get overly aggressive or cheat to get what they want. Too many people are quick to knock others down to get ahead. Instead of dancing around with good intentions, they push people off chairs.

A winners vs. losers mindset is not only unhealthy, it makes life less pleasant for everyone involved. While there will be times you do need to compete, that does not mean you have to maliciously take others down to do it. Sometimes it is okay to save a seat for someone at the table as a token of solidarity. Better yet, sometimes you can be so daring as to share your chair. There’s often room for one more.