The Infinite Game - Humanity’s Path to Lasting Peace and Harmony
Finite Games
Whether you realize it or not, in virtually every instant, you’re always playing a game.
As humans, the primary game we play from the moment we are born is “how to make survival most meaningful.”
But, you have a choice.
You can either play the finite game or the Infinite Game.
To understand the Infinite, one must first understand the finite.
Virtually all games we typically imagine are finite games.
That is, the game has a set of rules, a clearly defined beginning and end point, and most distinctly of all, someone wins and someone loses.
As it manifests in our modern society, this can be playing a sports game, working towards a job promotion, acquiring x amount of money, acquiring property, etc.
To play a finite game is to limit oneself within the boundaries of the game.
Every move made in this boundary is made for the purpose of winning, whether it be a physical reward, money, or some sort of status symbol that recognizes the player as the worthy recipient of the prize.
While these finite games can be fun, thrilling to play, improve and advance our lives, they can also hurt our lives and the lives of others.
The Downside of Finite Games
Becoming entranced with a mindset of viewing everything in terms of successes and failures, wins and losses, can lead to numerous consequences down the road.
On an individual level, when we become entranced with a finite mindset and lose the ability to see outside the boundary of the game, we can:
suffer from short-sightedness
fall out of touch with purpose
miss opportunities for growth
create conflict within our personal and professional relationships (as a result of constantly viewing others as competition)
experience unhealthy levels of stress and anxiety
On a collective level, when large numbers of people and organizations are operating from a win/lose mindset, the playing ground becomes ripe for birthing dominator hierarchies.
A dominator hierarchy is a hierarchy in which those on the higher rungs of the hierarchy exert control over those on the lower rungs, using them as pawns in but another finite game.
As a result, those lower on the hierarchy are often bullied, belittled, abused, and in the worst of cases, dehumanized.
Think: slavery, imperialism, the fact that the richest 1% own over 50% of the world’s wealth whereas the poorest 50% own less than 1% of the world’s wealth (Globalcitizen.org), etc.
To provide a modern example, “Chief Executive Officer” is the title given to the person at the top of a corporate hierarchy, a.k.a the person who exerts the most control over those lower on the hierarchy.
If the CEO (and the company’s shareholders) are playing the game of seeking the highest financial gain for the quarter (which many companies do), every move made becomes about maximizing profit.
In playing this game, the possibility opens up for harmful and shady tactics to take place in the name of winning the game. This can include:
Giving employees less work (and thus less pay)
Laying off employees
Creating a competitive, toxic work culture due to fear of layoff
Opting for cheaper and lower quality ingredients in products
Cutting corners in manufacturing
Harming the environment to get rid of waste more cheaply
Outsourcing production to sweatshops
While not every person in a position of power will disregard ethics and use their power in a dominating way, many do to a degree, and the societal repercussions are massive.
Did you know that, as of 2016, CEO’s make over 800x the average workers’ pay? (Sinek)
Yeah, this statistic shocked me too.
While the CEO is living a life of luxury, their entry level workers’ are making a wage that keeps them working full-time just to pay for basic needs.
Note: I am not saying every person deserves to earn the same amount of money, but rather I am advocating for systemic change that divides wealth more evenly. You and I can agree that 800x is too much. We should be working towards creating a society free of wage slavery (working full time just to meet basic needs).
The worst of finite games is not when one or a few people play, but when virtually the entire society plays.
Group consciousness is extremely powerful, and when you have an entire society in on a finite game, you quite literally create a world of winners and losers, of Haves and Have Nots.
With this, you create people who feel proud floating around in their yachts, thinking that those in the working class just need to “pick themselves up by the bootstraps” and “just work hard” and they wouldn’t be so poor.
These types of phrases are thrown around daily by American conservatives who feel righteous and deserving of having more, of being higher on the societal hierarchy than other people.
And this is not to devalue the importance of individual responsibility and hard work.
Every individual ought to be taking individual responsibility.
But when individual responsibility becomes “every man for himself” rather than being individually responsible for the well-being of all, we create the modern capitalist dominator hierarchy.
Do you now see that with this mindset of winning and having more, that someone else simultaneously loses and has less?
This is the state of humanity, and it is caused by a finite mindset, which at its core is none other than selfishness.
The Infinite Game
But, a different type of game exists.
A game that is not played for the purpose of winning, but for the purpose of continuing the play.
A game that is not played within a boundary, but towards the horizon of whatever we can envision.
A game that is played with others, rather than against others.
A game in which one does not have power over, but power with.
A game in which fame and status is not used as an end in itself, but as a means to a larger end.
A game in which “winning” does not come at the expense of others, but as a tool to assist others.
A game played in the name of Love, rather than Self.
James P. Carse called this the Infinite Game.
The Infinite Game can only be played by someone who is willing to let go of the prizes, titles, and other seductive, egoic gains that come along with winning finite games.
Many cannot even fathom playing this type of game, for they see life as meaningless without the rewards that come along with “winning” (money, status, material gains, etc.).
But, in the Infinite Game, we recognize that meaning-making is a tool that can be played with.
In fact, a question that needs to be asked prior to playing is “What is the most meaningful thing I could possibly do with my life?”
The 9 Characteristics of the Infinite Player
Has an ultimate vision
It is impossible to play the Infinite Game without a strong why.
If you do not have a vision that inspires you, touches your heart, invigorates your spirit, and is powerful enough to make you want to work your life towards a cause, you are not in Infinite game-playing shape.
I invite you to imagine a future state so beautiful, great, grand, and high, that tears come to your eyes.
What is this world like? What are the inhabitants of this world like? What do they do with their lives? What is their reason for living? What is the government like? What is the economic structure?
Set aside time to contemplate. Go out in Nature and think about it.
Be as detailed as possible with your vision and write it down.
Writing down your vision (and regularly adding to it) dramatically increases its potency and reduces the risk that, in time, it will become diluted or even disappear altogether.
This vision is your compass, and without a strong compass, you will inevitably veer off course and get sucked back into finite-thinking.
Here are a few key points of a vision for the future than inspires me:
The exploitation of humans and the environment for profit becomes alien, businesses are defined by how they serve, not by profit.
Success of a society is not defined by how many jobs it creates and what its GDP is, but by how happy, healthy, fulfilled, and conscious the citizens are.
“Political borders fade as communities no longer define themselves by nationality, but by mutual respect, shared values, and collective responsibility.”
Adult development is recognized and encouraged - communities and institutions help one develop new skills, learn new perspectives, self-actualize, and self-transcend no matter one’s age.
Psychedelics and other plant-medicines become commonly used healers to aid this process
Cities are nature-dominant rather than human and human-structure dominant
The most looked up to people are the most wise, rather than the most rich and powerful.
While I could write an entire book on the intricacies of my vision (and I plan to in future fiction writing, stay tuned :D), you can see how it would take many lifetimes to create a world that embodies these ideals.
Really, these ideals are only finite markers of progress within the infinite vision.
This vision, which at its core is rooted in increasing love and encourages cultivating a species-wide enlightened consciousness through transcending ego structures that have been responsible for the suffering, exploitation, and destruction of our planet, is a cause that will never be fully actualized, at least not for a gazillion years.
Progress in the Infinite Game is like getting closer to the end point of an asymptotic curve.
You get infinitely closer to the end, but never actually get there, so you end up playing the game forever.
I find Simon Sinek’s 5 qualities of a “Just Cause” to be great guidelines for generating your vision.
For something - affirmative and optimistic
Inclusive - open to all who would like to contribute
Service oriented - for the primary benefit of others
Resilient - able to endure, political, technological, and cultural change
Idealistic - big, bold, and ultimately unachievable
So, dig deep, contemplate, explore, dream big, find your why, and generate your vision.
Without this, it will be impossible to play the Infinite Game.
2. Makes all moves towards the horizon
Once you have your purpose for playing the Infinite Game, the next step is determining your part in advancing the cause.
What are your unique attributes, strengths, talents, and abilities that you can utilize to advance your cause?
What product/service/idea could advance this cause?
Remember, in the Infinite Game, there are no boundaries. The only limitation is the limitations of your imagination.
When one’s sights are set on bringing something so grand, bold, and idealistic into fruition, every move made within the game is made towards the horizon, towards the future, towards the endless possibility of what can be.
Contemplate what your part in the coming to fruition of your vision is, and make moves accordingly.
3. Is a player of culture, not of society
Because the Infinite Game knows no boundaries, an Infinite Player will have to play beyond their society, which is a boundary.
And because a society has boundaries, that is, it has a dedicated area of play, seeks to have power over, maintain its influence, uphold a certain social order, and desires to mold a certain worldview into its members, it is a finite game.
The power of a society is determined by its wins against other societies in large-scale finite games.
As a result of victory, the citizens of a society win prizes (land, new frontiers, protection, power, recognition, a flourishing economy, increased quality of life, increased influence of the society’s values, etc.)
Those who desire permanence of these prizes become “patriots”, a.k.a. nationalists who seek to keep the prizes for themselves, which ends up coming at the expense of others.
And very often, these patriots are those members of a society who benefit the most out of everyone in the society, so in addition to being nationalists they may also be racists, sexists, and classists in order to maintain their status.
This is the birth of all struggle in a society, and is the reason that a society’s #1 threat is not in its clashes with other societies, but with the growing culture inside its own borders.
Because culture is always changing, as its rules, norms, trends, and values are constantly in flux and know no limits, it is an infinite game.
At the heart of culture is deviancy. A defiance of a society’s finite thinking.
If people were to continue the societal script over and over again, they would be culturally impoverished, and nothing new, moving, groundbreaking, and innovative would come to be.
That sounds like a pretty boring (and probably horrifyingly authoritarian) place to be.
Whereas a society is defined by its boundaries, culture is defined by its horizon.
And while every move made by a finite player is made within a boundary, every move made by an Infinite Player is towards the horizon.
For this reason, it is fair to say that the Infinite player is a player of culture, not of society.
4. Becomes an inhabitant of their future state
Working to merely change the external aspects of the world that are out of alignment with the vision will never work in actually making the vision a reality.
To change the exterior is to simply change an appearance, to change the interior is to expand the vision, motivation, compassion, love, care, and intelligence of the vehicle that creates the reality (you).
In other words, the Infinite Game is a game of personal development: becoming someone with the consciousness that can actually bring the vision to reality.
If you want to, say, end the exploitation and oppression of all humans, you must first see and transcend the oppressor in yourself.
If you cannot eliminate the oppressor in yourself, you will never make a lick of change in doing so elsewhere.
So really imagine what the consciousness of a person which inhabits your future state is like, and seek to be that.
5. Notices the desire for finite games
Simon Sinek could not have said it better when he wrote:
“Maintaining an Infinite mindset is hard. Very hard. It is to be expected that we will stray from the path. We are humans and we are fallible. We are subject to bouts of greed, fear, ambition, ignorance, external pressure, competing interests, ego…To complicate matters further, finite games are seductive; they can be fun and exciting and sometimes even addictive. Just like gambling, every win, every goal hit releases a shot of dopamine in our bodies, encouraging us to play the same way again. To try to win again. We must be strong to resist that urge.”
In short, it is incredibly difficult to break free from finite thinking.
We are naturally hard-wired to seek the easy solution to our problems, and the quick, immediate reward we often get from doing so only reinforces us to act the same way again.
You will likely fall into finite-thinking often.
I know I do every single day.
And remember, finite games are not inherently bad. It is when we become entranced by the game that consequences arise.
In Infinite play, finite games are still played, but are taken less seriously and more playfully.
This is because one’s awareness of the ultimate vision prevents them from becoming seduced by the prize of potentially winning the game.
So when we notice ourselves becoming entranced, it is important to take a deep breath, to take a step back, and ask: Is this really what I want to do? Is this in alignment with my vision? Is this who I truly want to be?
More often than not, this will be enough to expand back into the Infinite mindset.
But if you find yourself completely unable to let go of your finite ways, don’t hate yourself for it or completely deprive yourself of something you see as a need.
Sometimes, karma needs to be burned through before it can be let go of.
Whatever you do, operate from your highest wisdom.
6. Welcomes surprise
A general marker of whether one is playing a finite or infinite game is in how they react to surprise.
Because the goal in finite games is to defeat the opponents, one must be prepared to predict, meet, or have a counter, for each move the competition makes.
If, in a finite game, our opponents surprise us with an unexpected move, our chances of winning decrease dramatically.
Whereas surprise brings finite games to an end, the Infinite player welcomes surprise, for each surprise reveals a new potential future, making the game all the more interesting to play.
A finite-minded organization whose goal is to be the best and to make the most profit, will be both surprised and suffer when new innovative technology from another company swoops in to steal their market shares.
An infinite-minded organization whose goal is to be better and keep improving in whatever they do, will welcome the new, innovative technology and see it as a way to improve their company and realize their vision.
See the difference?
If your vision cannot be held up through various political, economic, cultural, and technological changes, then the vision was not created with an infinite mindset.
Welcome surprise.
7. Plays in complete openness
Author James P. Carse was wise in regarding finite play as “theatrical” because one must “take on a role” and “put on a performance” in order to win.
The basketball player puts on the performance of attempting to score more points than the opposing team.
The corporate player puts on the performance of being the perfect employee so they can get the promotion.
The finite-minded corporation puts on the performance of maximizing financial gain.
People become entranced in this finite play because they want something, a reward, to maintain a public persona, or some other form of selfhood.
But, in the Infinite Game, one is not playing as a means to an end, they play for the joy and excitement of playing, so they play in complete openness.
Infinite players are not operating within any boundary, so their self-expression is not limited in any way.
With this, we can say that Infinite players are authentic.
Of course, it is easier said than done to be fully authentic, as our mind unconsciously creates boundaries in order to protect itself all the time.
But, if you are seeking to become the best Infinite Player that you possibly can, the growth you undergo will naturally expand your consciousness, capacity to love, capacity to open, and capacity to express yourself as you truly are.
8. Opposes no one and welcomes everyone
Infinite Players play with others, not against others.
Therefore, the actions of other people are not simply “opposed.”
Because to oppose an action of another would be to take a position against them, and this would be to have a fixed set of rules, assumptions, and boundaries for how the game ought to be played.
So, when an Infinite player encounters evils such as racism, they do not “oppose it”, but rather see the present situation as but another piece in the game to realize their vision, and so rather than acting in opposition, they initiate actions of their own that causes others to respond by initiating acts of their own.
In short, Infinite players are aware that evil only comes about through trying to eliminate evil, that is, having a set code of what is good and what is bad and enforcing it on others (Hitler and the Nazis believed they were eliminating evil!).
And so, Infinite players recognize not only the likelihood of evil, but also the necessity of it in the process of human evolution, and so rather than trying to eliminate evil altogether, they seek to recognize the evil in themselves, choose to act differently, and through their embodiment, inspire others to join the play.
Infinite players know that not everyone will want to play their game, but they welcome all who wish to participate, and invite them into the promise of ever-expanding vision.
For this, the Infinite Game is a renaissance, a collection of people united in a vision of infinite expansion.
9. Lets Nature take its course
At the ultimate level, there is only one Infinite Game.
And this is life itself.
It is God, the Universe, Source, the One, Brahman, whatever you want to call it, engaged in the endless cycle of creation.
We, as humans, are a part of this creation and play an active role in it.
You, as the Infinite Player, get to decide what you want to call forth in this creation and devote yourself to bringing it to fruition.
Of course, finite players decide what they want to call forth too, but they do so unconsciously.
Finite players are not concerned with the whole of creation like Infinite players are, but rather they use their creative potential to call forth a reality that is played as a means to end, through a narrow, constricted, egoic lens, creating a world of winners and losers, of Haves and Have Nots.
With the whole of creation in mind, Infinite play is really about letting nature take its course, for Infinite players realize there is zero separation between themselves and the universe.
There is a “getting out of the way” element to the Infinite Game, that is, quieting the ego and letting creation move us unobstructed by its wants, which are finitely-minded by its nature.
At its core, the Infinite Game is about getting in touch with Who You Truly Are, and becoming Who You Truly Want to Be.
Which is: Truth, Beauty, Goodness, Unity, Love, all of which is………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..GOD!
My Invitation to You
I invite you to make a conscious effort to start striving towards the Infinite mindset.
With this mindset, we work to create a world that maximizes human potential and flourishing.
With this mindset, we cooperate in bringing people’s self-chosen, genuine, authentic long-term interests into a more harmonious, healthier, and less divisive society.
With this mindset, we transcend the exploitative, win-lose mentality of old in favor of a new, inclusive, win-win mentality.
With this mindset, we play for the benefit of all, rather than for the benefit of a few.
It will be difficult.
We are not perfect. We are fallible. We can all be selfish to a degree.
But through keeping the whole of creation in mind, staying rooted in our visions, looking towards the horizon, and shining the light of awareness on our finite ways and choosing to act in accordance with what we truly want to create, we will all improve as Infinite players and the world will become a more peaceful, harmonious, loving, and less divisive place.
If you would like to read more about the concept of finite and infinite games, I’d highly recommend checking out the books Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility by James P. Carse and The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek.
Carse’s book will lay down the general theory and Sinek’s will apply the theory to the modern-day practices of business.
Daniel Schmactenberger’s various talks that you can find on Youtube also touch on this theory a bit.
I believe the theory of finite and infinite games is profoundly important and can get people to better conceptualize the limitations of selfishness, bias, and egoic thinking on both an individual and collective level.
I expect to create more posts through the lens of this theory in the future.
A Final Note
There is only so much nuance that can be touched upon in a 4000ish word post.
I know I am repeating myself here, but the reality is that it is impossible to go from a finite to infinite mindset like an on/off switch.
We humans are selfish, greedy, and actually need to have a finite mindset at times in order to survive.
In the current state of our world, we very often must see and view reality as a means to an end or we will literally die.
One gets closer and closer to an infinite mindset through a process of vertical development.
Vertical development is the process of developing a more holistic, expansive, sophisticated, and complex way of relating to self and world.
As one vertically develops, their sense of identity expands (egocentric to nationcentric to worldcentric and so on), and thus they become less selfish and more selfless in their thinking and behavior.
Vertical development occurs through several stages, none of which I will mention here because that will require an entire other blog post or two to even begin scratching the surface on (stay tuned).
But what you should take away from this is that in your decision to become an Infinite player, you are making the decision to always work towards embodying an Infinite mindset, while simultaneously recognizing you are fallible and many slip-ups (both necessary and unnecessary) into finite thinking are inevitable.
Just wanted to emphasize that again.
My Offers
I’d like to thank you for reaching the end of this monstrous post.
If you would like some guidance in crafting your vision, living your vision, or any other aspect of life purpose, consider booking a call with me.
I believe a great attribute I have as a coach is the ability to ask you deep questions that get your mind thinking in new lenses and pathways.
If this resonates with you, head to the “Coaching” tab of this website.
With love and intention,
Wyeth