The first time I encountered the concept of The Infinite Game was after interviewing Shopify’s GM of revenue Loren Padelford for Troops Built By Humans podcast.
I haven’t actually read the book by Simon Sinek, but my understanding is that the gist is basically the goal of the game is to perpetuate playing vs. achieve some finite “win” moment.
Finite games are defined as known players, fixed rules, and an agreed-upon objective. An infinite game is defined as known and unknown players, the rules are changeable, and the objective is not to win—the objective is to keep playing, keep perpetuating the game. – Simon Sinek
Applying this to your own life means allocating your time and energy to things you are insatiably interested in vs. finite pursuits like working till your net worth is 10 million dollars or something.
By aligning the core activities of your life with things you never get tired of, a level of engagement and fun emerges that renders a predominant state of positive emotions and meaning.
I like this idea.
It overlaps a lot with the notion I mentioned in Becoming No One to commit your time to things that don’t feel like work.
When I reflect on my own experience, the process of Consciousness Evolution seems like the ultimate infinite game.
Let me explain. ✓
Beliefs For Consciousness Evolution To Be A Compelling Infinite Game
If you think the goal of pursuing the expansion of consciousness is to become enlightened and then there’s nothing else, that by definition is not an infinite game.
Or if you think that the pursuit of spiritual progression is about going to church for an hour on Sundays or the occasional meditation session, then you probably wouldn’t consider consciousness expansion to be a compelling game.
As discussed in my post on Surrender, I believe consciousness has an innate desire to experience itself, understand its true nature, and expand to infinity.
This is why throughout history, man (consciousness) has grappled with the nature of its existence. Why are we here? Where did we come from? What is the meaning of all of this?
There is a core desire to answer these questions and eventually embark on a journey of self discovery.
The more one discovers, the more one wants to keep understanding and growing.
What is unclear to many of us, is what happens when we die? There are all kinds of beliefs that can be found in the bible or Tibetan book of the dead or any tradition.
If you believe in the idea that you are an experiencer (consciousness), that happens to be in a body in this moment vs. the body itself, you can entertain the idea that the experiencer persists when it no longer has a body. The only thing that changes when you ‘die” is the form it experiences from.
If this happens, is there any end? Or merely additional different experiences on an infinite continuum? In this view, you never lose the ability to experience or “die”. You just leave the body and take on different forms for eternity.
This is my current life view vs. one that emphasizes finality when you leave the body.
My belief in this hypothesis is mostly due to a combination of corroborating deep spiritual experiences and faith in great teachers who’ve come before me where there is a strong resonance with their teachings.
This view or one like it, really empowers one to view the pursuit of expanding consciousness as an infinite game.
Why Consciousness Expansion Is The Ultimate Infinite Game
I started to think about more the dynamics of the evolution of consciousness that make it such a compelling infinite game. Here’s what I came up with.✓
Rich Rewards With Progression
As detailed in a story of my own path, though spiritual growth can be challenging and confusing, the rewards far outweigh any sacrifice.
Ascension gradually correlates with greater levels of peace, joy, and love for all parts of life. The thrill of continuous revelation about the nature of your existence and reality becomes the most meaningful content of your life experience. You learn to love the process and view performing the activities required to continue the game as a source of joy.
Perhaps most exciting is that both the improved predominant states and newfound knowledge is something you carry with you throughout all experiences moving forward. This new context largely enriches everything while serving as motivation to continue to climb.
Infinite Levels
I have had a friend comment “I’m not sure how much more I have to grow.”
I kept my thoughts to myself, but frankly was flabbergasted by this statement.
I didn’t know I was standing next to the likes of Jesus Christ, Buddha, or Krishna!?
My personal belief is that humans have models of highly evolved beings like the ones above that serve as examples of the potential what humans can become. From limitless unconditional love to the ability to defy common perceptions of reality (walking on water, instant manifestation etc), I believe these gifts are possible with the expansion of consciousness.
And then, there are all the amazing potentialities that exist beyond humanhood that we can’t even conceive of!
Dynamic, Unknown, and Unpredictable
One characteristic of great games is surprise and novelty.
The manner in which consciousness reveals the content of reality is spontaneous. We don’t know what will happen, but we eventually build trust that it will reveal what we need to experience to evolve. As we learn to dance with the great mystery and see life not as randomness, but as divine orchestration, we become in awe of the perfection of its timing, responsiveness and infinite intelligence.
The profundity of synchronicity and delivering exactly what we need in a non predictable form, humbles us and makes us excited to keep playing so we can experience these moments of awe with greater frequency.
Accessible At Any Moment
Spiritual evolution doesn’t require you to be tuned into your iphone, have a strong WIFI connection, or even have other available players. Practices like Karma Yoga view every moment as an opportunity to grow.
The inward nature of playing, provides infinite opportunities to play with your reactions to the outside world as your game board.
Is something disturbing me? Am I judging something in my field of awareness? Am I using language to label everything around me vs. simply experiencing? How am I interacting with thoughts?
Every moment represents an opportunity and you can play whenever you want.✓
Creativity and Uniqueness
I’ve heard spirituality called the “Pathless Path” meaning that there is no singular, definitive way to evolve. Each person’s journey is unique and all of the answers are in the context of one’s own experience.
I can see where this might be frustrating to some people. Can’t I just take a pill or do a few exercises and be enlightened?
Or why do we forget our divine nature upon incarnating vs. just coming into this world Self-realized?
Where is the fun in that!? The journey back home is the reward. And the notion that each expression is unique with no linear way to arrive makes it interesting.
If the game was as easy and straightforward as following rote instructions, you’d get bored and your desire to play would diminish.
As you play, the expression of your gameplay has common characteristics, but are also unique…kind of like art!
Persistent Reward
It seems like the games a lot of people play eventually lose their luster or even functional value.
Take the game of making a lot of money or accruing status. There seems to be a predominant theme amongst even the best game players where they eventually summit everest only to say, this is it? Is this all there is?
The reward of money and status is no longer compelling or meaningful. Or even from a more functional perspective, you make all this money and you start to realize as you age that you can’t take it with you. The desire to continue to grow it wanes and you start to play a new game of giving it away.
In all cases, the attractiveness of the reward does not persist.
I can’t say I’ve been playing the consciousness evolution game for more then a handful of years in this particular experience. However, my hunch is that I will never get tired of this game.
If you believe that you carry this level of evolution into new forms after you no longer inhabit this body, that means the reward persists. This makes the game all the more compelling.
Closing Thoughts
I think deep down all humans desire to find a game that they never get tired of. When you do, it provides deep meaning.
Part of the beauty of the game that I described is that it does not discourage you from playing other games. I’ve found it entertaining to be an entrepreneur. My top allegiance is to my spiritual evolution, but I can experience it through life unfolding in the context of another game I also enjoy.
I hope everyone reading this finds their personal infinite game!
