What ping-pong taught me about life | Pico Iyer

Growing up in England, Pico Iyer was taught that the point of a game was to win. Now, some 50 years later, he's realized that competition can be "more like an act of love." In this charming, subtly profound talk, he explores what regular games of ping-pong in his neighborhood in Japan have revealed about the riddle of winning — and shows why not knowing who's won can feel like the ultimate victory.

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26 Comments on What ping-pong taught me about life | Pico Iyer

  1. Ping pong is the BEST sport!!! It has helped me focus more and dramatically improve reflexes. Competitive spirit without competition is a wonderful idea! Loved the talk

    • I was a national champion in Russia as a female JR. Came over to the USA when i was 13 and beat the pants off the juniors over here to the point it wasnt even fun.

      When i was on team junior team USA when i played Team Junior China it was a completely different experince and pong was fun again and was massively humbled while being there.

      I stopped playing at a world level at 19 to focus on my Law degree.

  2. Pakistan sucks in ping pong because they lack the knowledge presented here. All are ego maniacs who refuse to relinquish their titles. Selfish. No imagination. Only few dare play like the Japanese

    • So you had never seen world class players play ping pong? Lol i bet you was shocked.. I was junior Russian champion 2 years in a row when i was 11 and 13 coming to USA 2 months before i turned 14.

      The game is massively intense and FAST. To onlookers that have never seen high level players are absolutely in shock when they see a set played. They can’t understand how we can play a game that gets moving at that speed and be in control of it 98.5% of the time.

  3. “One should use information and logic as a drunkard would use a lamp post – only for support, not for illumination.”
    ―     Sadhguru,   Of Mystics & Mistakes

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