4

We play the most peculiar game.
It is called Life, and we have no idea we are playing it until we've reached well passed the midpoint. Some of us realize it sooner than others. Most stay too preoccupied to even notice.

I feel both blessed and cursed to have discovered a portion of the truth.
Blessed because I can rest easy knowing that the entire social structure is meaningless and I should never feel too down at my current level. Cursed because I can never rest easy knowing that, while we may be playing a game, nobody treats it as such.

There are very real consequences for not playing by the rules. There are mortal repercussions for refusing to play.

That is what makes it so peculiar. We are forced to play, and the only other option is demise.

So I continue to play. I abide by the enforced parameters. I gain status and wealth through the transaction of time. I dress appropriately and refrain from wrong-think. I follow the tropes, laugh on cue, and at the end of the day call myself accomplished for checking all the boxes.

But something is wrong. I am not happy with this game. I have seen beyond the lines they tell me to stay in, and I have witnessed the yellowed smile of the rule-makers. I was born into the game. They were born on-top of it.

From childhood I always had a suspicion of adults. They knew things that I did not. They controlled things that I never even knew were there. They had access to all the doors in the house. I was very aware of my vulnerability, my helplessness, of how easy I was to take advantage of.

There is a vast disconnect between the young and the old. This world, this game, is an old thing. It has existed for thousands upon thousands of years before I ever did. There is so much history that has taken place. There is a web of conspiracy placed here for each one of us before our births, and the game we play is navigating through its maze.

Our only hope is that we can make it to the end, with all ten fingers and all ten toes. Our only salvation comes in the form of knowledge passed down to the young. When we become that which used to dictate us, it is our duty to change the game as much as possible. We must inform the kids of this deception, give them a head start. Otherwise this merry-go-round will cycle ever onward, ad infinitum.

We play the most peculiar game. It is called Life, and we have no idea we are playing it until we've reached well passed the midpoint. Some of us realize it sooner than others. Most stay too preoccupied to even notice. I feel both blessed and cursed to have discovered a portion of the truth. Blessed because I can rest easy knowing that the entire social structure is meaningless and I should never feel too down at my current level. Cursed because I can never rest easy knowing that, while we may be playing a game, nobody treats it as such. There are very real consequences for not playing by the rules. There are mortal repercussions for refusing to play. That is what makes it so peculiar. We are forced to play, and the only other option is demise. So I continue to play. I abide by the enforced parameters. I gain status and wealth through the transaction of time. I dress appropriately and refrain from wrong-think. I follow the tropes, laugh on cue, and at the end of the day call myself accomplished for checking all the boxes. But something is wrong. I am not happy with this game. I have seen beyond the lines they tell me to stay in, and I have witnessed the yellowed smile of the rule-makers. I was born into the game. They were born on-top of it. From childhood I always had a suspicion of adults. They knew things that I did not. They controlled things that I never even knew were there. They had access to all the doors in the house. I was very aware of my vulnerability, my helplessness, of how easy I was to take advantage of. There is a vast disconnect between the young and the old. This world, this game, is an old thing. It has existed for thousands upon thousands of years before I ever did. There is so much history that has taken place. There is a web of conspiracy placed here for each one of us before our births, and the game we play is navigating through its maze. Our only hope is that we can make it to the end, with all ten fingers and all ten toes. Our only salvation comes in the form of knowledge passed down to the young. When we become that which used to dictate us, it is our duty to change the game as much as possible. We must inform the kids of this deception, give them a head start. Otherwise this merry-go-round will cycle ever onward, ad infinitum.

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