I first wrote this short passage a few years ago. I've always liked the ring of it. It has good pacing. And it hits you like a punch to the gut.
The rules were not working for us anymore. Only a few people had a really good time. We fought constantly for what little joy there was. And we decided we didn't like the rules anymore. So we stopped playing. Slowly, rule by rule, we started playing our own game.
It's a nice little mantra for anyone who feels like they're getting screwed in this life (which is probably most of us).
So what does this mean in game terms? Essentially, the game is unbalanced. And we all know what happens in unbalanced games - one team gets all the glory while the others sit around waiting for them to win. People get so focused trying to win the game they forget that the whole point of playing it in the first place is to have fun. (Check out this awesome Alan Watts video by the South Park on "Music and Life").
This imbalance in the game we call society is the result of two things:
- There is one primary status indicator (i.e. money).
- The status indicator is self-reinforcing (having more money makes it easier to get more money).
So as far as the game rules go, this basically means: It's easier for players who already have a lot of points to get more points. Combine that with the fact that you must play the game, and this creates a pretty unfair situation.
Passing laws is dependent on a lot of buy-in from powerful non-human entities (businesses as well as non-profits).
Now as I see it, there are two solutions to this particular problem:
- Change the status indicator.
- Change how the status indicator moves.
A great example of the first (using a different status indicator) is the country of Bhutan which has incorporated the use of a Gross National Happiness index in its economic and development plans. Another, more specific example might be the complementary currencies offered in specific geographical regions or for specific purposes like the Japanese "elder care" currency. Either switching the primary status indicator, or having more than one status indicator with similar influence, would both serve to level the playing field of the game, making it more approachable and rewarding to play.
One of the big influences on the second point above (how the status indicator moves) is the fact that more money buys you more lawyers, who help you manipulate the rules of the game. Having more points helps you get more points.
My country has been called "the litigous states of America" as a commentary on how lawsuit-happy our citizens seem to be. One of the problems with our legal system is that no matter what the facts of the case are, the lawyers always win!
Big corporations, which have more money / points than anyone, have the most influence over the government, the entity whose duty it is to regulate the rules of the game. I barely need to lift a finger to point to the recent economic bailouts to prove my point.
[need a better closing]... "to form a more perfect Union"
This post was originally left as an unpublished draft. Published as work-in-progress in November 2026 for historical reference.