The New Great Game

The Game Changes When Rules Are Rearranged

The great game has changed

Comparison leads to a dead-end

Do the same as others, join a herd

A collection of the same, a commodity

Separated only by price and time

New scarcity and truth is made alone

by creating categories of one

In the Ancient Aegean, for nearly a 1000 years, the Games happened every 4 years.

Every free man, rich or poor, could enter the games. It was part religious festival and part tail-gate party with feasts.

Even when Persia invaded, raising an army across Greece for defense was delayed for the games. The Games were all business, offering both glory and ignominy for its champions and kingdoms. Those immortalized each demonstrated the most important quality: Uniqueness. Each champion was a category of one.

One boxer was a rumored son of Hercules. One wrestler would carry a cow on his back, kill it, cook it and eat by himself. One runner played the Games into his 30s and had won 12 wreaths.

And today?

Competition is understood as a game of comparison against one measure. It denies reality itself. When we talk about competition, is this how we "win"? Wrong.

If we do the same as everyone else, we're a herd. A herd is a collection of the same, a commodity. The things separating them are price and time. Competition by comparison is hard.

Comparison by just one measure means dead-end copying.

Our new Great Games will be hosted somewhere strange.

And every human can enter this new game, rich or poor, it doesn't matter.

It will be a 24/7 festival.

We send ourselves, through our creations, as our champions. Our works, our alliances, and play are on display. The biggest arena is public. These champions will be celebrated for their individual character - a mix of different qualities in a quantities of one, categories unique onto themselves.

In the next Great Games, the rules are different. It's the scarcity and truth of one.

Hail to you, champions of the new games.