Imagination cannot lose
There are [at least] 2 types of games in the world: Finite games, and infinite games.
This fall, I stumbled on a podcast where a favorite musician, Jon Foreman, reminded me of this philosophy idea over the summer. It has been exactly what I needed to hear.
If you’re invited to play with a kid, they most likely mean one of these two categories of game.
If they want to play Go Fish, or Chess, or do a race, then they want to play a finite game. Finite games have teams, time limits, goals, and ultimately, you either win or lose them. At some point, the game is over, and you get to celebrate or high-five or perhaps grieve that you didn’t do better. These games can be cooperative or competitive; competitive games can bring out some real insecurities, and cooperative games can rely heavily on how much certain types of people speak up, and both types of games can invite analysis after the game is over, but their defining characteristic is that all of these games definitively end.
Infinite games, however, are the games of imagination. This is when a child wants to play house with you, or wants to be a vet, or wants to imagine they’re living out of an old boxcar in the woods. This game has no winners or losers, no real ending. These games continue because new challenges arise in the world of the story, and you dream up ways to respond to them- whether the imagined house needs cleaning… or medicinal berries need to be collected to save your friend who was attacked by the vicious magical wolf who guards this part of the mountain. The game keeps going as long as you can keep coming up with ideas. In fact, even if recess ends and it pauses over the weekend, this game might pick up where you left off on Monday–or whenever you want.
An election is a finite game.
Our faith is an infinite game.
In our finite games, certain candidates win or lose. Laws pass or fail. Applications are accepted or turned down. It might not be fair - the taller kid will almost always win the foot race - but it is over, and it’s natural to be thrilled or frustrated when that happens.
The trick is not to make the mistake of only playing finite games, and thinking those wins or losses are the only kind that count.
Infinite games are about connection, community, and creativity. They require trying new things, working in what each other can come up with. Mostly, they just require willing participants.
Matthew 22 has Jesus explaining this difference between the finite and infinite in a few different ways. He talks about inviting people into celebration with you, and the people who join versus those who sit out. He talks about how death makes even marriage finite, but the love of heaven is infinite. He talks about how the greatest command is one that has no end: to love the Lord your God with all you have, and to love your neighbor as yourself. In fact, Jesus explicitly addresses politics and taxes under oppression, essentially saying, “Honor the loss you’ve suffered in this finite game and give the oppressor his taxes; just stay engaged in the infinite game of worshipping God.”
So I think being a “little Christ” right now looks something like this:
Justice is an infinite game. It requires willing participants who are looking at the world and imagining other ways that it might be. It requires ideas for how to get there, things to try. When I was seeing my friends hurt and scared over anti-Asian hate, I came up with some ideas: I could walk friends home, get them self-defense tools, listen to their fears and empathize, and I could even write a film about an Asian American family to celebrate some of the amazing things I’ve seen and hopefully build some bridges.
Prayer is an infinite game. There is no point where God taps out on communicating with you. You can try out different ways of doing it, you can do it outside or in your bedroom, you can invite in other people or just play one-on-one with God. There are no real limits; you can talk to God about anything, in any mood. It’s there for you if you take a break and have to come back to it.
Love is an infinite game. You come up with ideas every day to show love and participate with your family, your neighbors, even strangers. Sometimes, we love by surprising each other with coffee and breakfast and flowers. Sometimes, we love by making jokes, screwing up our faces and moving our bodies to elicit laughter, sending each other silly videos. Sometimes, we have the idea of getting a new outfit for someone or a new perfume or a pin for their bag. It keeps going as long as you’re willing to do things.
How can we imagine new ways to embody Christ, the king who gives away everything for the unworthy “other,” the embodiment of love and justice, the one who destroys death and brings hope and binds up the brokenhearted?
I’m seeing a lot of people who feel a victory right now. And I’m seeing a lot of people who feel loss.
But what I’m really looking for, what I’m checking myself for, is: Who is a willing playmate?
Imagination cannot lose.
As artists, I pray we are at the forefront of staying engaged in our infinite games. It’s okay to need a little break, but don’t get so upset about the finite loss that you stop playing everything. People need your creativity right now.
As Christians, we have to keep infinity in our eyeline. One day, yes, the finite will pass before the infinite at last, but it’s more than that. Jesus preached that the Kingdom of Heaven is “at hand,” meaning, tangible and reachable in some significant way right now..
Will you play the Kingdom with me?
