The Game of Life

One of the difficulties I had during one of my courses with summer was that I was asked to consider viewing Life as a Game, and to consider that most people are playing the Game of Survival--of survival of Self/Identity. And if one was able to take that in, then it is fair to say that 90%+ of adults on this planet have played this game and won it, but don't realize it, because they are so caught up in the Game. And then to consider that most adults spend most of their lives on the sidelines of Life, passively watching others playing the Game of Survival, because they have won it and they don't know that there is any other Game.

So I started this inquiry into what sort of a game Life would look like if one could see past that Game of Survival. And in doing so, I recognized my ambivalence toward games. I asked myself why, and I determined that I was ambivalent about games because most people playing really wanted to win, and I could care less. But why? I tell myself I know I could win if I want to, but if someone else wants to win, why not let them? I tell myself its because I don't care about winning or losing... for me it is about the pleasure of playing. And what pleasure is there in winning a game of Survival? I won that Game. I am a Survivor with a capital S. I know I can endure anything. And then I recognize the core of that phrase I coined "To endure the unendurable, find pleasure in it." I endure. And I find pleasure in it. My own way of winning.

And yet, surely, there must be more to life than that-- more than mere survival. There has to be more. Life is serious, right? Its not a game. And yet, here I was being asked to consider that Life is a Game, and not only that, that I had the power to chose the Game I wanted to play. I was told to play life as a game, and play it full out, play to win. Determine what the desired result is (ie wealth), determine measure (money in the bank) and then keep track of the statistics to determine the winner (how many deposits, how much amassed, etc within a pre-determined time-frame). Approached this way, incrementally, set-backs are part of the Game, rather than a failure to Win...