Talent, in perspective.
I feel I have something to contribute.
Talent, as we refer to it, is something of an initial disposition or will, applied and given opportunity by circumstance, and seen in its expression of success.
This isn't to say talent defines us
or limits us, in some way
but rather that there are forces influencing our thoughts and behaviors and desires (or goals), and that though these can be worked through and changed, over time, and with certain steps of metanoia (change of mind, like in perspective, realization, or epiphany), some of us have a better initial combination suited for the task at hand.
Or, "natural talent."
(So, it's true - there are probably many people who could be good at smash, who don't play the game - likewise, there are many of us who are probably good at something else, but not necessarily smash - and then there are those of us who probably... haven't found what that is yet. But, we're only seeing the ones who are here, now.)
This also means that the expression of talent can give clues about its origin.
Where smash is a game, with
depth, complexity, and capacity for competition,
We find that our thoughts, and even desires
are reflected in the expression that is our play.
In this way, a game acts as a battle of one against himself, or as a challenge with another to seek out what there is to find (like how your thoughts of how to play succeed or fail against your friend's, or even the limitations of the game), and in this sense serves as one challenge of many that you could have in your life (or whatever) that pits your desires and thoughts against some sort threshing floor or proving ground in order to grow and refine your knowledge of yourself, your ability to analyze and learn, and your knowledge of how you interact and respond to difficult events.
As such, a game, though it can be played forever, has somewhat of a finite purpose to what it can tell or teach you - and after you've reached that certain point, wherever you feel it is for you, the game changes for you, in that the decision to play it changes in some way.
Even in our natural discussions we compare and contrast who is better, what the best strategy or mindset is, and how to succeed the most with what is available. But that doesn't mean we'll necessarily become the best - but it points out options for how we can become better.
But this means talent can also come from other places. Whether it be the type of our drive to win, or the mindset we have while facing this challenge, what we learn by doing on our own, or by figuring things out elsewhere in life, we can apply to smash - and vice-versa. Talent in one area can translate to another - and what that 'talent' can be can exist in lesser-known or in greater-known areas: smash, compared to chess; managing friends, to managing a family; coping with disability, to winning an olympic medal.
In one sense, talent is something you understand 'by not looking at directly.' This works both way: for us, it's hard (impossible?) to understand the actual driving force behind one's ability by looking at them and trying to understand it/them - though we can see reflections of that drive through how they cultivate and act on that ability; and for them (and us), you have to realize that they're (probably) not relying on how well they're 'hitting a mark' compared to other people - they're just relying on 'themself', in whatever allows them to step forward in their task - which means that they're not looking at something either, trying to figure out what it is that someone has that gives then 'natural talent' - they're already making that natural talent... naturally.
At least, in the area that we're focusing on, like smash.
***
Some anecdotes.
[COLLAPSE="On reflections"]When I use to play this game, I realize now, that I was trying to play in a way that, if I won, I would have won in a 'right' way. That is, I would want my playstyle to somehow embody the 'best' possible decisions and actions for my character, in all situations, and if I won without doing that, I wouldn't feel satisfied, to the point where I'd even stop doing as well by the last stock or two, if I were doing really well in the beginning (probably because I was afraid a challenge would be gone if that were true, which is a wrong assumption, of course). Or, like in the few tournaments I was in, I couldn't bring myself to do well (for a few reasons), but one of them probably because I was afraid that if I put out my all where it mattered, I might not be accepted for what I was able to offer (in a sort of messed up sense like that). In this way, smash showed (among many other, smaller things) some insight to my initial drive to play, and how this hindered my 'success' overall (though, like in the first case, it may have helped me understand more about my character or odd nuances of the game more than most - and it did). And I was able to take this knowledge away from that, and apply it elsewhere (or if I wanted to, back on to playing smash).[/COLLAPSE]
[COLLAPSE="On a friend's 'talent' and 'effort'"]My friend has played this game for so long, and has played to win for so long, he really excels with just 'natural' dominance, excellence, and knowledge of the game. He always has, with games before this, and games after. And even with his lack of tournament experience, he still holds his own against the top players (if it counts, like taking a match from l ovage in pools in a tournament recently, if that matters at all). He spent a lot of time with the game, and explored it to its ends until he was satisfied. He's logged a few thousand hours probably. And every time he plays, he gets better. But he hasn't really been to tournaments, and he hasn't really been around other people to play - so his growth in smash is stifled, to say the least. But, his talent is there... he could really get really good. But, he'll probably never be in that limelight of having the chance to play and test his skills against all the top players around him. Regardless, he came in with the right mindset, and he's still advanced with the right mindset - and it's something you can see in him when you play him, and it's something even he'll tell you you can't really try to analyze and 'own', unless you're already owning it yourself.[/COLLAPSE]
