Nothing is sacred. Everything changes.

I was reminded of all that, and more, when I saw this article reporting on Hasbro replacing Monopoly tokens. I grew up in a family of rabid Monopoly players, we would stage the days long Monopoly battles, and they were a cutthroat business. No deal too sordid to make, no promise that could not be broken. So I have a deep and abiding nostalgia, and love, for the game. Its a part of the American culture by this time, same as Clue, or Scrabble. A touchstone for many of us, growing up.

So, in what must be a calculated bid to raise awareness, and subsequent sales, Hasbro has decided that they will be replacing one of our beloved tokens, and is allowing the public to vote on which piece gets replaced. I dont feel comfortable voting for this, as the game tokens are as much a part of the game as Boardwalk; Hasbro might as well remove all the Railroads while they are at it. Now, I can see how in a age when Hasbro has been releasing, for years, Monopoly games that are very city specific, that this is not much of a change; in other words there is a Seattle version of Monopoly, featuring Seattle attractions and landmarks and many cities have their own Monopoly versions also. But to me this feels like they are removing one of the parts of the game that makes it unique, as each token is different, and takes on its own personality, and I might be stretching a bit on that last point. What I really want to say is that I think somethings, in this life, should be left alone.

But I also know that is impossible. We live and die in a world that is in constant flux, whether by natural or man made agent. Metals rust, buildings age and must be torn down, trees blow over, people grow old and die. And when we have an object that is hundreds of years old, say a landmark, we agree that it should be preserved, to remind us of its part in our history. Even so, these preservations age, despite our best efforts. This is as it should be, we must always remember the impermanence of it all, and our very existence.

Funny how just a little thing about replacing some game tokens can cause me to wax eloquent on the existentialism of life. Its just a game after all.