The other night I got a 25 minute dissertation from my youngest son about Minecraft. I've known the loose concept of the game for a while. I had no idea all the options/characters/tools that existed in this world though. One creature in particular, is a zombie/pig/skeleton. Sounds creepy to me.

After the lesson was over, my youngest commented that he liked the game because it is a lot like real life. I commented that I didn't think zombie pigmen were very realistic. He responded that he thought the game was similar to real life because you have to survive things, just like you do in the real world. He said he had to survive the dog attack when he was little, and other kids have had to survive other things.

There's so much truth in that simile.

There are many things in life we have to survive. And many of those events are so ugly, I'm sure they do resemble zombie pigmen.

At the same time, we sometimes get to dream in life (which in Minecraft is the "creative" stage). It is not all surviving all the time. We have people and opportunities which enable us to dream big and grow.

I also love how my son referenced other kids surviving things. Kids empathize with other kids…they get each other and understand their world. Empathy like that is a gift I hope he never loses.

What zombie pigmen have you survived in your life? And are those pigmen truly dead for you, leaving you free to dream?