|
Go placidly amid the smoke and carnage, and remember what peace there may be between lives.
As far as possible without sacrificing a clear shot, be on good terms with all combatants. Deliver your truth with careful aim, and let others discharge theirs into walls and crates, even the slow and clumsy; they too have firepower. Avoid berserk and trigger-happy partners; they get fragged early.
If you compare yourself with others, you may get distracted and miss; there will always be greater and lesser shots than yourself. Enjoy your lucky takedowns as well as your ambushes. Keep on top of your marksmanship, however degraded; it is a real possession in a world of varying armaments.
Exercise caution in choosing a stakeout, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what cover there is; all players seek the high ground, and everywhere death is tinged with heroism. Shoot straight. Especially, do not feign loyalty. Neither be cynical about courage; for in the face of withering crossfire it is as perennial as reincarnation.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the reflexes of youth. Nurture depth of cunning to avenge sudden "misfortune". But do not distress yourself with paranoid delusions; many fears are born of adrenal exhaustion.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, cut yourself some slack. Your polygons are rendered on the same pipeline as those of the crates and ramps; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, the play is proceeding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with your CPU and graphics card, as crusty as they already are; and whatever your tactics and strategies, in the bloody melees ahead keep your stats up and your weapon ready.
For all its pixellation, artifacts, and outright bugs, it is still a kick-ass game. Be hard-core. Strive to outlive.
|
See also Max Ehrmann's original Desiderata .