When I was 11-years-old, my parents sent me to a school holiday programme with an academic leaning. This one stayed away from sports, games, and films, and instead focused on literature, science, and history.
My favourite part of the programme was playing the board game Diplomacy, which is a simulation of World War I. It’s a game where chance plays no part in the result. Every move on the board is based on a human decision, and victors are determined via alliances and negotiation. Our group of 16 student were separated into pairs, and each pair was assigned a country. It was chaos, but I loved it.
The least enjoyable part of the programme was the literature class. I was still obsessed with teen action and spy fiction novels, but the teacher busted out Chaucer. I didn’t understand the poetry, the structure of the verses, the old English, nor the subtleties of the texts.
I wasn’t ready for Chaucer. And to this day, I haven’t picked up any Chaucer. But just because I wasn’t ready then, doesn’t mean I should shy away from it now.
I think life is filled with these Chaucer-esque experiences, and it’s up to us to know when to have a go them at a later date.