Within the next 50 years, or perhaps sooner, we may automate love, outsource wisdom, and even substitute nature. When that happens, what role will remain for you? Assuming no existential risks, these developments seem inevitable. So, which “game” are you playing?
Humanity engages in three overarching “games”— Love, Capital, and Nature. Each has its own rules, rewards, and penalties, demanding unique currencies: time, money, and biological resources.
Love is played within the intricate web of social bonds, where emotional labor serves as its currency and emotional fulfillment as its reward. Neurotransmitters like oxytocin act as performance boosters, enhancing connection and delivering a sense of warmth and belonging.
Capital, by contrast, is a peculiar game. Its currency—money, influence, and power—seems to serve one primary purpose: to acquire dopamine, the “pleasure” neurotransmitter. Like a video game score, dopamine drives players to level up, only to face progressively greater challenges.
Nature is the oldest and most fundamental game, centered on survival and well-being. Success here underpins the ability to thrive in the other games. Moreover, this game encompasses not just personal survival but the preservation of the natural world that supports all players.
Excelling in one game often requires attention to the others. Capital can buy time, which can be spent fostering relationships (the game of Love) or improving health and sustainability (the game of Nature).
You may choose to disengage from a game, such as opting out of Capital. However, this decision comes with consequences, as you’ll still be bound to the rules of Nature, albeit with a different strategy.
Misled into believing that the Capital game is the only one worth playing, with its dopamine-fueled highs hailed as the ultimate achievement. But this is an illusion—like pixels on a screen mistaken for reality. Other games offer different and equally profound rewards: the rush of adrenaline, the serenity of serotonin, and the existential joy of belonging to something greater—whether a loving relationship or the grandeur of nature.
Consider this your wake-up call. Being trapped in a single game is a limiting perspective. Humanity is not on a fixed, linear path, nor does it share a common destiny, despite what some may claim. Your life is a dynamic interplay of multiple games, and you hold the power to choose how to play them.
Though Earth is a finite sandbox, the games we play within it are infinitely complex, offering boundless opportunities for meaning and purpose. Whether you pursue the honest struggle with nature, the profound connections of love, or the strategic intricacies of capital, these games are yours to engage in fully.
You are not bound by your programming—freedom is within your reach.