Stop playing on other people's servers.

Why life is a game, and why you should prioritize your world.

One of the more enduring video game genres is what’s called survival.

You create a character, and they are placed in a world that is randomly generated and filled with raw resources that you will have to gather in order to progress through the game. Sound familiar? It should; it’s modeled after real life.

For some, just starting out in this kind of game can be daunting due to the near-infinite things you could do or explore and almost as many ways to die.

In this case, an individual may stick it out or play with a more experienced person who can guide them through the game’s minutia, a common strategy among friends.

Now take real life. I was reflecting on how the average person lives, including myself. What kind of game am I playing? Am I playing in my own world, or am I playing in someone else's? I ultimately decided that somewhere along the road, my own world got too tough, and I decided to join someone’s server to offer protection and prosperity. In exchange, I would help build and advance their world for them, along with others in the same situation.

I will not discuss the benefits of playing on someone else’s server; if you are happy in the environment you are in, then you should stay where you are.

If you are not satisfied, however, then you should ask if you are purely playing your game or someone else’s. I should also mention that there is undeniable wisdom in playing cooperatively; this is the family model.

If you look at any success story that is worth emulating, it is always when someone decides to start playing for themselves and creates a whole new world of their own. Think Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Joe Rogan, and Taylor Swift. When her masters were sold, she decided to rewrite and re-record all her songs, including new ones, and went on the most successful tour the world has seen.

The most important thing is that you know yourself.

The most common form of despair is not being who you are. Soren Kierkegaard

I believe we are in a strange new world of despair because so many people have lost who they are and do not know where to find it. You can travel to third-world countries, something I have done quite a lot. and you will find people enduring an incredible amount of external despair but having smiles on their faces. I live because they are rooted in tradition, culture, family, heritage, and religion. Here in the West, we have decided to throw almost all of this away for the sake of the individual.

Instead, they say you are what you consume, so buy the nicest, biggest toy, house, phone, car, or boat. Yes, this all costs a lot of money, which is why you should study hard and get a good job so you can buy and consume as much as you can and die. This is the meaning of life and will make you happy.

Except when it doesn't because it isn’t.

If you relate to this sentiment and want to know where to go, I can only tell you what has helped me. These books were the start of my journey (Books 1, 2, 3, 4,); maybe they will be the start of yours or others like it. Just stay hungry, keep searching, and remember Kaizen the continuous pursuit of small incremental improvements every day.