Here are the rules of the game:
You are born into a body not of your making, at a time and place not of your choosing.
You have no control over your starting circumstances—your security, nourishment, education, family, gender, race, location, country, or religion.
You have curiosity, the ability to learn, and the capacity to adapt.
You have senses, instincts, and emotions that generally help you avoid physical threats—which, by the way, the world is full of.
You have an ego and a sense of competition. You want to survive, improve, thrive, and matter.
You have a sense of self, but also a need for community. You want what you want, but one of those wants is connection with others.
You are aware that your time is limited, precious, and irreplaceable. You don’t know how much time you have—only that it will end.
Now, Here’s the Game:
Your goal is to be remembered for as long as possible after your death. The more people and generations that remember you, the better.
Looking at history, Gilgamesh played a great Game. His name has endured for thousands of years.
Barry Nelson, though loved by his family and friends, played a comparatively small Game, and will likely only be remembered for another generation or two.
So, ask yourself: How do you want to be remembered? What actions will make that happen? And imagine that whatever plan you choose will succeed—your mark on the world will last.
Here’s How You Know If You’re a Good Person:
Did your plan help others, or did it require you to harm them?
It really is that simple.
If you are a good person, pursue that plan with everything you have.
If you consider yourself a “bad” person, that’s okay—it may not be your fault. You can get help, and you should. None of us choose the circumstances we’re born into. If you had a difficult start, you may simply be surviving the best way you know how, shaped by the hardships you’ve endured.
But now you know.
And if you choose not to seek help, then you are making the choice to remain a bad person.