Is life a game? If life is a game, then everything I do can be measured by whether it helps me score points and achieve game related outcomes. Every person I meet, every conversation, is either moving toward a “win” or not.

Every group has different rules and ways to score. One of the tasks on joining a new group is to learn what game its playing and the rules.

I was on my way to meet someone yesterday, and I caught myself thinking about the outcome of our conversation. I wondered if meeting him would be a waste of my time (a “no win”). Rather than looking forward to the potential of a new friendship, I was evaluating him in terms of the game I was playing.

But what if there is no game. The “game” I imagine is my way of taking control based on an illusion that robs me of this moment and prevents me from valuing the person in front of me. You can’t love someone and use him or her at the same time, even if (or especially if) you’re deluded.

I woke up today and, before opening my eyes, reminded myself, “There is no game.”