Lessons From The Pinball Wizard

In the great pinball game of life, are you the Pinball Wizard, or the ball?

Pinball arcades were a big deal when I was in high school. My friends loved going to them and playing pinball for hours. These evenings gave us the feeling we would be young forever! I had a great time watching them improve their game as they laughed, hooted and hollered. Watching the silver ball fly and bounce around the field was exhilarating for us all. They generally learned better hand and eye coordination, patience, and sportsmanship. And the time there built lasting friendships.

Watching was much more fun than playing for me. I too got better and saw my patience and coordination improve, but I never enjoyed that rush of adrenalin I got from the challenge, the bells and whistles, and the flashing lights. That kept me from learning to play a mean pinball. I left the playing to my friends while I learned nuances that serve me in life today.

The chaotic lives I see today remind me of pinball, and the wonderful song out of the rock opera Tommy by The Who – Pinball Wizard. While Pete Townsend thought that was the clumsiest bit of music he’d ever written, the song was an instant hit, and is still a popular song today. Was Townsend prescient? Did he know that the speed of life was going to speed up and that the lights, sounds, and movement of life would become major distractions? Whether he knew it or not, that’s the reality of modern life. Did he see that some would be more like the pinball while a few thrived by being the Pinball Wizard, and the rest of us somewhere in between?

The pressing question I have is whether you let others run your life, or if you are in control of your actions, emotions, and moves. Are you played, or are you the player? Are you the pinball of life, or the Pinball Wizard?

In the rock opera Tommy, Local Lad (aka the Pinball Wizard) plays well because he played by intuition and had no distractions because he couldn’t hear those buzzers and bells or see the flashing lights — he played by sense of smell (according to the lyrics anyway). He was so good that he always has won a replay, and never “tilted” at all.

You exhibit great control of life when you don’t let the big or little distractions take you off your game, your game of life. You also experience less stress, and actually respond better to the natural stress, when you are the player. Playing maintains a youthful attitude and minimizes stress reactions. Being played increases stress reactions and effectively ages you.

Not that the silver ball is distracted by the buzzers, bells, or flashing lights, but it’s not in control of the plunger that puts it into play, or the flippers that keep it in play. It’s buffeted about, hitting the bumpers and targets, by those playing the game. And a not-so-good player controls the plunger and flippers, but not well, and gets variably distracted by things going on around the game. A not-so-good player also gets buffeted about by outside forces.

The comparison I see between people and the “characters” in a pinball game is that some (most?) people don’t control their lives. Their plans are interrupted by the needs and demands of others. Their intentions are overridden by others’ plans and ideas. Their lives are chaotic and out of control so much of the time they don’t accomplish what they want and need to do, their time isn’t their own, and at times it seems their emotions aren’t their own. Those people are stressed and don’t cope well with the natural stress in their lives, partially because they aren’t in charge. Those are the people I see aging before their time, the people not aging gracefully.

Contrast that with the people who know what they want and need and stay in control of their lives to accomplish their goals. When others try to interject themselves, they are fit into the schedule as the person allows, if at all. Those high performers accomplish what they want and need to do, their time is their own, and they are in control of their emotions. Those people aren’t as stressed, and are able to cope with the natural stress in their lives by being in charge. These are the people who enjoy their lives, playing and interacting with others. These are the people who age gracefully.

Pinball is a great metaphor for life. First, connecting with others in social and fun ways keeps you young. Second, playing games keeps your brain and body agile and nimble — attributes of youth. Finally, the Pinball Wizard is a great metaphor for the person who is in charge and lives a high performance life, with purpose, focus, and skill. A life of intention and discipline creates a high performance and vibrant life. A vibrant life is one of energy, joy, and alertness. That’s how you age gracefully — enjoying yourself every inch of the way.