Games that we play in life.
Traditional Games we play
Games that we play in life are many. From baseball to cricket, and from the Olympics to the Diamond League. It was not recently that I wrote about the Tour de France. However, this article is not about traditional "Games". There are some games in life we play by default, mostly without an immediate audience. It is important to recognize these games, as our happiness does depend on them. To be honest, one of my friends suggested writing about this article a year ago, but I did not know how or why then; perhaps this answers her question.
Wealth Game
The wealth game is easy. The medium is money, and we play this by creating value. Those who create value for themselves are "self-employed," and those who create for others are "employees." Those who own other employees are employers or entrepreneurs. Guess who is on top of the wealth game? Learning about leverage, compounding, and money is essential in the wealth game. It will solve all your financial problems.
Status Game or Stardom
Some people think the wealth game is evil, mostly because it is hard to figure out how to create value and, more importantly, sell it. It is like the fox who tried to eat grapes and failed. However, they are not entirely out of games. They play a different game called status game. Hollywood actors by profession are masters of status game. They rise up to stardom, and once their star is permanently carved on the pavement, they can start charging any amount from filmmakers for their star power. By refusing money and showing you are spiritual, you play the status game.
The status game is subtle. We all play this in the office, in the supermarket, with our neighbors, and in our families. While in church, we try to be recognized as unique. Why humans value this is unknown. Probably it is evolutionary, as being in a group always wins the survival game more than being single. As you can see, this is why being alone is the easiest way to lose yourself. But I would say it is a courageous and almost necessary path in self-discovery.
Being religious, being generous, or becoming a philanthropist, being in a cooperation, having a family—all these are essentially various combinations of the above two games. As an example, by being religious, you achieve status in your community, and this will make you feel safe about your future. If a million people share your faith, how can you be wrong? Even if you do feel wrong about afterlife assumptions, you still "gain" status by being religious.
Family is perhaps one of the oldest conformations that we used to help play our games. By marrying someone, we play it fair by not having affairs with any other party. We create more opportunities for everyone to be satisfied. And we work as a team to fight for status and money. In earlier days, we used to play hunger games as families. Food and shelter for survival were our main targets. Nowadays, as food and shelter are abundant due to technology, we play different games, even a round of cards when everyone gathers for Christmas.
Essential Component of All the Games
The essential component of all these games is the imaginary nature of it. Games that we play are not natural. They were created by humans by establishing rules and law. If you see any religion, there is a basic set of rules. If you see a cooperation, there is a set of rules too. If you see a country, there is another set of rules. We have to follow them by default as we are born into these games. However, the rules are imaginary and man-made; always that is the case. You might say, wait a minute, is that true? Once you see every game is imaginary, you would label it as a rat race and start playing a different game. A game of truth, perhaps with a bunch of philosophers this time around.
Who stepped Out of every Game?
Anyone who makes rules is at the top of their game; in this sense, a politician and a monarch are at the top of the political game. Shareholders with votes are at the top of the co-oporate game. The regulatory authority of FIFA is at the top of the football game.
Anyone who doesn't play by the rules is eliminated. A criminal, a robber, doesn't play by the rules, but they still play the game by their own rules. They are eliminated by the system. I wouldn't consider even a beggar as someone who is not in the game. However, I have some idea of the characteristics of a similar person. They are called non-players.
Characteristics of a Non-Player
A non-player is a solitary person, perhaps a monk, who has seen the truth about all the games we play. He would know a game as a game. He would not fall back into the "game-playing mentality." He would not make rules on his own for his own living, as there is no point in creating another game. He would eat when hungry, walk when it is needed, and speak when it is essential to do so, not because he wants to gain "status" by informing others what he knows about the stupidity of life. He would find no meaning in the games that we play all our lives and would not find meaning by not playing any game either. He would stay right in the middle of awareness so there is nothing gained or lost from the experience. Actions done by such a person are completely pure. I would not call them living, but just a tree.
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