“Be kind, be careful, be generous, and try really hard to limit the harm you do.” An inquisitive, precocious youngster seeks familial advice about the meaning of it all for a game-changing project…
by: Frederick Foote
Lou & G.P.
“G.P. [Maternal Grandfather], Mom said you have some interesting ideas on the meaning of life. I would love to hear them.”
“Lou, you know that when your mom says interesting, she means weird?”
“Yep, I know. She also says you’re special.”
“Think twice before you have kids, Lou. Look, life is a game. It has rules, goals, and players. Some of us play by our own rules, while others follow the rules of governments, religions, or professions. But there are always rules.”
“G.P., do you follow the established rules or make your own rules?”
“I’ve been kicked out of two colleges, fired too many times to count, and arrested eleven times. You figure it out.”
“Okay, I knew most of that anyway, but you might have been following rules for rebels.”
“Yes! You get it. We are rule driven even when we are fighting against other rules.”
“What are your goals in your rule-driven life?”
“There’s always something we are looking for at the end of the rainbow. Stuff like wealth, fame, happiness, justice, freedom, love, heaven, shit like that. I’ll tell you this much, they’re all illusions and none of them are what they seem. We like to think that we set our own goals, but I really doubt that.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, like, you are suddenly locked in a cage. Your goal becomes getting out of the goddamn cage. I think circumstances set our goals most of the time.”
“Yeah, I see what you mean. That’s a narrow kind of freedom. What about the players? How do we win or lose the game?”
“Okay, players always lose. The house always collects in the end. The house is the place where we play our games. We play a few hands, quarters, sets, and innings, and, snap, the games are over before most of us are ready for it to end. And we lose.”
“So, why play if you’re going to lose, anyway, G.P.?”
“The moment you are conceived, you’re playing the game. If a baby cries, it may get attention. That’s a communication rule. The goal is to get attention. You don’t have a choice but to play the game.”
“But, you can opt-out, jump off a bridge, or step off a chair with a noose around your neck.”
“You’re making up a rule: I don’t want to play anymore, and I have the power to stop playing. You have a goal and follow your rules. And you may still be playing the game. Nobody knows what happens after you exit this phase of the game.”
“I don’t know, G.P., it all sounds too rational, logical, straightforward, and simple. I mean, like, half the time, I’m not sure of what my goals are or what my rules are, you know?”
“I hear you, Lou. I think most of us feel like that at one time or another. But shit happens. Like being put in that cage. It clarifies our thinking and points us straight toward a goal.”
“It sounds so bleak and pointless. Like, what’s the point of it all?”
“I think the point of it all is different for each of us. I think that’s one reason we play the game as long as we can. We can define the point of it all. That’s part of our rule-making powers. Shit, that’s our superpower.”
“But you said we all lose.”
“We lose this life. Or we at least appear to lose it. I mean, we could be recycling through the same life forever or be reincarnated 100 times over. I don’t know, and I don’t give a shit. I would rather spend my time defining what this life is going to be for me.”
“And what is that?”
“Lou, that’s a moving target. I want to understand my relationship with the world and how I can leave it a little better than I found it.”
“And are you doing that?”
“No, not very well. I’m pretty well off in a rich country. Living in a rich country, I create and mandate poverty for other countries and manufacture worldwide distress. Shit, we put the world in the danger zone with our environmental impacts, exploitative economics, and racism. It’s hard to get a grip on how you do better in that situation.”
“You create a smaller carbon footprint?”
“Yeah, I use recycled toilet paper and drive an electric car. That don’t seem nearly like enough.”
“So, what do you do?”
“Be kind, be careful, be generous, and try really hard to limit the harm you do.”
“Is that it?”
“No, you also have to be a creative warrior for justice and understand that you will do time for the crime of seeking justice.”
“Okay, is that all?”
“No, enjoy your friends and laugh as much as you can. There, I think that’s about it.”
“Thanks, G.P., I have just a few more questions. Do you believe there is a God?”
“Of course there are Gods. We desperately need them, so we make them up and make them real for us.”
“Okay, is there a spiritual function or factor in the universe?”
“Yes. That’s another way to describe a God.”
“Wow! Do we — do you believe we have souls?”
“We create souls like we create Gods and spirits. It’s a game, and we create our own rules. All we ever own is our games. We are in this by ourselves, Lou. Nothing is going to reach down from the sky and give us a hand.”
“Thanks, G.P.”
“Hey, Lou, what are you going to do with all this BS?”
“I’m going to create a software tool to help us understand questions like these. I’m collecting a lot of viewpoints on life. I want the program to make us think more carefully about what we value and how we live.”
“That sounds like a hell of a task. Keep me in the loop on that.”
“I’ll make you a beta tester if you like.”
“I like. You take care, Lou, and build us a life-changing program.”
“I will, G.P. I will.”
***
Lou & Jillian
“Lou, what are you doing out here in the woods little, nerdy Bro? Is everything all right back at the house?”
“Everything is cool, Jillian. I know you come out here to concentrate and write. I don’t want to disturb you, but Mom said I should talk to you about your idea of the meaning of life.”
“What exactly did mom say about my view on the meaning of life?”
“Ah, she said you had a truly unique viewpoint, and then she mumbled something about mescaline and LSD.”
“You know that when Mom said, truly unique, she meant weird, stupid, and off the wall?”
“Yeah, I do. And that made me really want to talk to you to see what was weird, stupid, and off the wall about your view.”
“Did you talk to Gramps about his views on the meaning of life?”
“I sure did. I think he was saying that we are responsible for creating our own meanings. Do you agree?”
“The best way I can describe it, Lou, is that creation and the whole universe are the responsibility of a curious imagination.”
“Wow. What does that even mean?”
“It means that the universe contains billions of stars and is ever expanding faster and faster. The universe is a riot of creation and destruction. This is just a kind of situation a curious imagination would create to see what the possibilities are in existence for change and life-and-death and all that lies in between.”
“Is the curious imagination like a God or Goddess?”
“No. It’s a force. It is indifferent to the consequences of the situations it has created. It’s like when you roll the dice, you are looking for a certain number, but you don’t care about how the dice feel about being rolled.”
“Wow. That’s heavy, Jillian. I don’t know if I understand—”
“Look at it as one theory among many trying to explain the nature of existence. This approach works best for me. It may or may not work for you at all.”
“Cool. So how does this theory help you or guide you or whatever?”
“I want to live a life of curious imagination. That’s why I’m a writer. But I want to lead a life as a caring, curious imagination.”
“Okay, it seems to me that what you and G.P. have in common is that we are responsible for creating our own meaning about life.”
“Yeah, we do. And Mom said you wanted to interview me about making a software thing about the meaning of life to make us think more about the kind of lives we lead?”
“True that.”
“Well, that could be an expression of the curious imagination.”
“Yeah, but with caring.”
“You got it, Lou. Go on with your bad self.”
“Jillian, is there a God or a spiritual force in the universe of the curious imagination?”
“No. It’s an imagination with no vested interest in its creations.”
“Okay, two more questions. One, do you believe we have souls?”
“That’s an open question. I believe it is a terrific subject for the curious imagination.”
“So, is there life after death?”
“The end of the curious imagination is the end of everything. There are no leftovers.”
“Okay, okay, I have one more question. Did G.P. influence your thinking about the meaning of life?”
“Oh hell yeah. Mom and Grandpa helped me stretch my imagination.”
“Jillian, we have a strange but interesting family. Thanks, Sis, for helping me understand us.”
“Bye, nerd — keep up the curiosity and expand your imagination.”
***
Lou & His Mom
“Okay, Mom, you can’t avoid it any longer. I’ve interviewed your dad and Jillian, and it is your turn to be interviewed.
“Lou, you know I’m not into that meaning of life stuff. I have real work to do. I don’t have time for that philosophical nonsense.”
“Mom, you go to church. You pray and read the Bible. How can you not think about the meaning of life?”
“Lou, I respect you, Jillian, and my father’s views, no matter how…novel…they are, but I don’t think you all respect mine.”
“Mom, I’m trying to figure out my own view. Listening to your views could help me.”
“Maybe later.”
“Okay, I just wanted another perspective. Neither G.P.’s nor Jillian’s perspectives had a supreme being.”
“That’s because they suffer the sin of pride and think they know more than the wise men, the Bible, and God.”
“How did they get to be so prideful?”
“The schools are forbidden to teach God’s laws, and young people break away from the church as soon as they can. And if you are young and religious, your peers reject and mock you.”
“So, how do you keep your faith when others lose theirs?”
“The meaning of life is found in the love of God and belief in his teachings. I love, and I believe.”
“Okay, so, following God’s teachings is the road to finding—”
“Following God’s teachings is the meaning of life. It’s that simple.”
“Are you happy and content knowing the meaning of your life?”
“Lou, happiness is not the purpose of life. Following God’s law is demanding, an unrelenting task.”
“Will you find happiness in heaven?”
“Lou, I’m not looking for happiness. I’m looking for salvation. I love, I believe, and I obey.”
“Are you disappointed that your father and Jillian don’t share your beliefs?”
“On their deathbeds, they can repent, beg for forgiveness, and be saved. I pray for them.”
“What about Aunt Ada?”
“What about my sister?”
“She’s a Muslim and—”
“She can repent even with her last breath and—”
“But Aunt Ada believes in God.”
“Allah is not God. There is only one God.”
“Okay, if you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?”
“Nothing, Lou. My every step and misstep is part of God’s plan. His plan is my path to salvation.”
“Okay, thanks, Mom. You gave me a lot to think about.”
“Lou, you have big choices to make, and I’m not talking about which college you select or what major you choose. Do you understand?”
“I think so. I just don’t know that I can ever match your faith.”
“He will show you the way.”
“Well, in that case, I can’t go wrong because it will all be part of God’s plan.”
“Lou.”
“Yes, Mom.”
“Get out of my kitchen.”
“But—”
“Now, please.”
***
G.P. & His Daughter
“Well, daughter, I heard you finally played Lou’s Game of Life. What did you think?”
“I was surprised, Dad. Lou gave religion such an essential role in the game.”
“She surely did. Aren’t you glad you talked to Lou about your view of the meaning of life?”
“I guess so. I didn’t see any mention of your or Jillian’s viewpoints.”
“Jillian and I are just two people with our own peculiar beliefs, and religion is home to billions.”
“Word, and Amen. I’m going to invite Lou to go to church this Sunday. Would you like to come with us?”
“Ah, baby girl, have you read any of the reviews of Game of Life?”
“No. Should I?”
“Yeah, you should. You should probably do that before you invite Lou to church.”
“Why?”
“Because feelings are running rather high in some churches about Lou and his Game of Life.
“But the game is all about religion.”
“Yep, it sure is. Hey, I got to get in the wind, but I will send you the links to some of Lou’s reviews.”
“Okay, Dad. I’m sure Lou’s game got rave reviews.”
“Only from those who can see life as a game.”
“But Lou’s game is just a game. It’s not life. How could anyone think otherwise?”
“Millions of people are playing his game and maybe it’s changing lives.”
“Oh, come on, Dad. It’s not like the game is the Bible. Right? Right?”
***
New York Times review of online phenomenon, The Game of Life.
By: Elton Moss-Wong, the New York Times contributor specializing in the intersection of Culture & Science.
The Game of Life is the creation of Louis (Lou) Eli Woods and his team of volunteer scientists, homemakers, poets, farm workers, prisoners, addicts, sex workers, and children. Woods started her project as a seventeen-year-old high school student in Modesto, California. A prototype of the game went live three years ago. As they say, the rest is history.
The best way to understand The Game is to experience it. First, it’s not a game in the traditional sense. The Game’s foundation is the database of life values and experiences from over 100 million individuals-and growing. The gateway to this vast body of information is programs that allow the user to see how their values help or hinder them reaching their goals. You can use demographic data, age, gender, race, education, location, and value data, integrity, religiosity, patriotism, equality, justice, individualism, fairness, and self-reliance to project how your values help or hinder you reaching your life goals such as financial success, personal fulfillment, domestic bliss, happiness, and fame.
The Game draws on AI and every type of internet data to build its projections. It goes without saying that it is an enormous energy hog. It is or was utterly fascinating to play The Game. However, there is now more of a morbid curiosity involved in playing. Most players discover that they can’t achieve their goals, regardless of their projected actions, values, or demographics. The more life experience data added to the data pool, the more chaos The Game projects.
The federal government and several state governments are proposing legislation to ban The Game as a national security threat. These government threats have only inspired millions of new players to explore The Game. As of today, none of The Game’s 100 million plus players have met their life goal in the last three months. This is an unsettling scenario, like a slow-motion train wreck. Lou Woods released a brief cryptic statement a few hours ago: “The Game is not a prophet. Don’t let it dictate our future.”
On that note, I will close this report and catch up on The Game.
Frederick K. Foote, Jr. was born in Sacramento, California, and educated in Vienna, Virginia, and northern California. Since 2014 Frederick has published over three hundred stories, poems, and essays, including literary, science fiction, fables, and horror genres. Frederick has published three short story collections, For the Sake of Soul (2015), Crossroads Encounters (2016), and The Maroon Fables and Revelations (2020).
