The game you didn't know you were playing

Summary

This video script explores the concept of life as a game, offering a fresh perspective on overcoming life's challenges. It contrasts historical views of life as a stage, battle, or trial with a modern outlook that encourages embracing life's infinite possibilities. The script uses examples from 'Rick and Morty' and real-life survival stories to illustrate the power of playfulness and resilience in the face of adversity. It dispels myths about life's hardships and emphasizes the importance of challenges in personal growth, ultimately advocating for a balanced approach to living life to the fullest.

Takeaways

• 🎭 The script explores different historical perspectives on life, comparing them to enduring problems and challenges, which may lead to a desire to escape life.
• 🎮 Dr. Jonathan Chu suggests reframing life as an open-world video game, which can shift one's perspective to approach life with a sense of play and joy.
• 📺 'Rick and Morty' is used as a metaphor to illustrate how different approaches to life, like playing a game, can lead to different experiences and outcomes.
• 🧗‍♂️ The story of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates demonstrates how turning a life-threatening situation into a game can provide resilience and a path to survival.
• 🤔 The script challenges the myth that life should be taken seriously and not treated as a game, using real-life disaster scenarios to show the benefits of a gaming mindset.
• 🧗‍♀️ Survivors like Joe Simpson use patterns and focus to navigate through disaster, turning dire situations into a game that helps them stay focused and calm.
• 🏆 The script refutes the idea that challenges and obstacles are undesirable, arguing that they are necessary for personal growth and the fulfillment that comes from overcoming them.
• 💡 Alan Watts' thought experiment highlights the need for unpredictability and challenges in life, suggesting that even in a life of constant pleasure, we would seek challenges.
• 🚀 The human mind is wired to solve problems, and our evolution as a species is marked by overcoming adversity, making challenges an integral part of life's journey.
• 🛤️ Life should be seen as a collaborative game with limitless paths, where the goal is not just to win but to co-create experiences with others.
• 🎉 The best approach to life is with a sense of play, embracing the journey and the lessons it offers, rather than fearing the challenges it presents.

Q & A

How does Shakespeare view the world in the 1500s according to the script?

Shakespeare described the world as a stage where we are just actors playing out our roles.

What is Charlotte Brontë's perspective on life in the 1800s?

Charlotte Brontë viewed life as a battle, an ordeal that we have to fight and suffer through.

What does Winston Churchill say about life in the 1900s?

Winston Churchill stated that life is a test and this world is a place of trial.

Why does the narrator feel that the historical views on life are missing something?

The narrator feels these views are missing something because they all look at life as something we have to endure through an endless series of problems.

What alternative perspective does Dr. Jonathan Chu propose for viewing life?

Dr. Jonathan Chu proposes viewing life as an open world video game, something you play for the joy and love of it.

What is the significance of the 'Roy' game episode in 'Rick and Morty'?

The 'Roy' game episode in 'Rick and Morty' demonstrates how different individuals can experience life within a game, with Morty living an entire life and Rick taking risks, raising the question of how one would approach life if it were a game.

How does the script relate the story of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates to the concept of life as a game?

The script uses the story of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates to illustrate how turning a life-threatening situation into a game, focusing on solving one problem at a time, can help individuals survive and find a way out of seemingly impossible scenarios.

What is the common myth the script addresses about life being too hard to treat like a game?

The script addresses the common myth that life is too hard and painful to treat like a game, and that one must be serious about life's challenges.

What does the script suggest about the necessity of challenges in life?

The script suggests that challenges are necessary in life as they are a vital part of personal growth and evolution, and that the human mind is designed to solve problems.

How does the script use the example of Tetris to explain the need for challenges?

The script uses Tetris as an example to show that challenges, such as the different types of blocks in the game, are essential for making the game engaging and satisfying, and by extension, life.

What is the main message the script conveys about approaching life?

The main message is to approach life with a sense of play, understanding that life is an experience we co-create with the universe, and that challenges are necessary for personal growth and the adventure of life.

Outlines

00:00

🎭 Life as a Stage vs. Life as a Game

This paragraph explores different historical perspectives on life, from Shakespeare's view of the world as a stage to Churchill's notion of life as a test. The speaker argues that these views are incomplete as they imply life is something to be endured, filled with problems. Instead, the paragraph introduces the idea of life as an open-world video game, as proposed by Dr. Jonathan Chu, which can transform one's life experience by encouraging a playful approach to challenges. The 'Rick and Morty' example illustrates how immersing oneself in a game can lead to profound experiences, suggesting that our approach to life could be more playful and less fearful.

05:07

🧗‍♂️ Surviving Disasters Through Playfulness

The second paragraph challenges the myth that life is too serious to be treated as a game by recounting the story of mountaineers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates. Despite a life-threatening accident, they used their resources creatively, turning their descent into a game that helped them survive. The narrative emphasizes the psychological benefits of viewing dire situations as games, which can lead to a pattern of focused, step-by-step survival. It also highlights the importance of not dwelling on losses and maintaining a positive outlook, even in the face of adversity.

10:10

🧩 Embracing Challenges for Personal Growth

This paragraph dispels the myth that challenges and adversity are undesirable by using the popularity of Tetris as an example. It argues that challenges are essential for human satisfaction and growth, drawing a parallel between video games and life's inherent problems. The paragraph suggests that without obstacles, life would be unfulfilling. It encourages viewers to see hardships as opportunities for growth and to pursue their dreams despite the risks involved, framing life as a grand adventure filled with lessons and potential for personal evolution.

15:11

🎉 Life as a Collaborative and Infinite Game

The final paragraph emphasizes that life should not be viewed as a series of battles or tests but as a collaborative and infinite game. It suggests that the best way to approach life is with a sense of play, trusting in the universe to provide the tools needed to overcome obstacles. The speaker invites viewers to subscribe for more strategies on living this 'game' and ends with a call to action, encouraging viewers to like the video and look forward to future content that will provide practical tools for manifesting one's dream life.

Keywords

💡Endurance

Endurance refers to the ability to withstand hardship or fatigue without giving in. In the video, it is portrayed as a traditional view of life where one must suffer through a series of problems. The script challenges this notion by suggesting that life can also be approached with a sense of play, thus changing the experience from one of endurance to one of engagement and enjoyment.

💡Open World Video Game

An open world video game is a type of game that allows players to explore a large, open environment at their own pace without being constrained by linear gameplay. Dr. Jonathan Chu uses this concept as a metaphor for life, suggesting that by viewing life as an open world game, one can unlock infinite possibilities and approach life's challenges with a sense of play and exploration, as illustrated by the 'Roy' game scenario in the script.

💡Resilience

Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties or to adjust easily to new conditions. The video emphasizes the importance of resilience by sharing the story of Joe Simpson, who, despite severe injuries and life-threatening conditions, managed to survive by reframing his dire situation as a game. This mindset allowed him to focus on the next step and adapt to the challenges he faced.

💡Playfulness

Playfulness is a state of mind characterized by a light-hearted, spontaneous, and imaginative approach to life. The video posits that adopting a playful attitude towards life can transform one's experience, turning challenges into opportunities for enjoyment and growth. It is exemplified by Rick's approach to the 'Roy' game, where he takes risks and enjoys the process, contrasting with Morty's more cautious approach.

💡Myth

In the context of the video, a myth refers to a widely held but false belief or idea. The script debunks common myths about life, such as the belief that life should be taken seriously and cannot be treated as a game, or that challenges and adversity are inherently negative. By challenging these myths, the video encourages viewers to reconsider their perceptions and approach life with a more open and creative mindset.

💡Challenge

A challenge is a task or situation that requires considerable mental or physical effort to overcome. The video argues that challenges are not only inevitable but also essential for personal growth and enjoyment. It uses the popularity of Tetris and the human instinct to solve problems as evidence that we thrive on challenges and that they contribute to the richness of life.

💡Adversity

Adversity refers to a state or instance of serious or persistent opposition or misfortune. The script suggests that adversity is not something to be avoided but rather an integral part of life that propels us forward and aids in our personal evolution. It is presented as a necessary component of the 'game' of life that can lead to growth and learning.

💡Risk

Risk is the possibility of something happening that will have a negative effect or outcome. The video explores the idea of taking risks as part of living life fully, using Rick's character as an example of someone who embraces risk-taking within the 'Roy' game. It suggests that while too many risks can be destabilizing, a moderate approach to risk can lead to a more fulfilling life experience.

💡Security

Security in this context refers to the state of being free from danger or threat. The video discusses the need to balance the desire for security with the courage to pursue one's goals. It suggests that while security can provide a stable foundation, it should not prevent individuals from taking risks and exploring new opportunities in the 'game' of life.

💡Growth

Growth, in the context of the video, refers to the process of developing or becoming more mature, advanced, or elaborate. The script posits that life's hardships and challenges are catalysts for personal growth, and that by viewing life as a game, individuals can embrace these challenges as opportunities for development and self-improvement.

💡Bliss

Bliss is a state of perfect happiness or great joy. The video encourages viewers to 'follow your bliss,' which means pursuing what brings you joy and fulfillment. It suggests that by doing so, you are living life most intensely and engaging with the universe's most powerful lessons, which is a central theme of the video's message about embracing life as a game.

Highlights

Shakespeare viewed the world as a stage where we play out our roles.

Charlotte Brontë described life as a battle that requires fighting and enduring.

Winston Churchill considered life a test and the world a place of trial.

The idea that life is something to endure might lead to a desire to escape.

Dr. Jonathan Chu suggests viewing life as an open-world video game for joy and love.

A shift in thinking can change life's experience, turning the world into a game map.

The 'Rick and Morty' episode illustrates living a full life within a game.

Morty's game experience shows the immersive reality of living a lifetime in a game.

Rick's approach to the game contrasts with Morty's, taking crazy risks.

The balance between security and risk is essential for living life to the fullest.

Common myths about life being too serious for games are debunked.

Survival stories, like Joe Simpson's, demonstrate the power of treating life as a game.

The human mind thrives on solving problems, as evidenced by our evolutionary history.

Alan Watts' thought experiment shows the necessity of challenges for a fulfilling life.

Obstacles are vital for personal growth and should not be seen as punishments.

Life should be approached with a sense of play and the understanding that it's a collaborative game.

The video promises to offer strategies for manifesting one's dream life in the next video.

Transcripts

Every era has its own way of looking at life.  In the 1500s Shakespeare described the world  

as a stage where we're just actors playing out  our roles. In the 1800s Charlotte Brontë talked  

about life as a battle; an ordeal that we have  to fight and suffer through. And in the 1900s  

Winston Churchill said that life is a test and  this world a place of trial. Each is a different  

way of understanding the world, but to be honest  I've always felt that they were missing something,  

because basically they're looking at  life as something we have to endure,  

through an endless series of problems we face  over and over again. And if that's the story  

you keep telling yourself, little by little,  life will come to feel like something you want  

to escape from. But what if you looked at life as  a game? Filmmaker and YouTuber Dr. Jonathan Chu,  

creator of the channel "Engine" describes the  infinite possibilities that open up to you when  

you imagine your life as an open world video  game; something you play for the joy and the  

love of it. With one simple shift in thinking you  can completely change the experience of your life;  

the world becomes your game map and wherever you  decide to go, whatever challenges you're facing  

now, you can choose to approach it with a sense  of play. So how do you do that? Let me show you.

In the show "Rick and Morty," Rick Sanchez  is a brilliant scientist; a genius, but he's  

reckless. He takes all kinds of crazy risks. His  grandson Morty on the other hand is not a genius;  

he's a good-natured boy but but often too trusting  and naive. The show explores their absurd and  

fantastic adventures as they travel to new worlds  and other dimensions. There's an episode where  

Rick takes Morty to play a futuristic video game  on an alien planet; it's way more advanced than  

any game on earth, it's a strange game called  Roy. His headset comes on and in an instant:  

he wakes up in a completely different body in  a room he doesn't recognize. A woman walks in.

"Roy what's wrong?"

"I had a nightmare, I was with an  old man and he put a helmet on me."

"Well don't worry it was just a dream."  And so he grows up and he goes to school.  

He becomes the star of his football team.  He falls in love. Years pass as he raises  

his own family. Soon he has to deal with the  reality of supporting them. He goes to work at  

a carpet store but his heart heart isn't really  in it. One day he's diagnosed with cancer. "I'm  

not ready to die," he says. After a long  painful treatment he comes home. By some  

miracle he heals. He's even healthy enough  to go back to work. At the age of 55 years  

old he steps up to reach for one of the carpets,  something he's done thousands of times before,  

but this time he loses his footing. He falls  to the floor and his life comes to an end. Game  

over? The helmet comes off and Morty realizes it  was all a game, and yet he lived a whole other  

lifetime within this game. It felt so real so  immersive, he had no idea he was even playing it.

"Where's my wife?" Morty says. Rick teases him:  "You beat cancer and then you went back to work  

at the carpet store? Boo!" Now it's Rick's turn  to go into the game but he plays it exactly the  

opposite way. There's a real excitement as he  takes crazy chances within the game. A crowd  

begins to form. "Hey this guy's taking Roy off  the grid! He doesn't even have a Social Security  

number for Roy! It's a funny and thought-provoking  scene because it raises an important question:  

how would you approach your life if you knew it  was a game? Would it give you a greater sense of  

play? Or would you play it safe in one small  corner of the game? Rick and Morty each take  

radically different approaches and to be fair  a reasonable one has to lie somewhere in the  

middle. Because playing it too safe means  you're never really living your potential  

but taking too many risks also stops you  from building the stability you need. We  

have to balance our need for security with  the courage to go after the things we want,  

but before we go deeper into what this means for  you I think it's important to look at some of  

the common myths people have around this idea.  Because before you can reframe your life as a  

game you need to understand some of the limiting  beliefs that can stop you from making that shift.

Here's a common myth: "Life is too hard  and too painful to treat like a game,  

you can't play around because if  there's one thing life is not,  

it's a game. You have to be  absolutely serious about it."

To answer this point let's look at the most  serious situations you can imagine where it's  

a matter of life and death. I'm talking about  real life disaster scenarios where some people  

live and others don't. One of the most incredible  examples comes from the story of Joe Simpson and  

Simon Yates. In 1985 they climbed to the top of  the Siula Grande mountain in the Peruvian Andes;  

it's about 21,000 ft high. As they were  making their way down Joe fell and broke  

his right leg. But it wasn't just broken it was so  completely shattered that his calf bone had driven  

through his knee joint. The most horrifying  thoughts began to fill his mind. "That's it,  

my life is over." They were completely alone on  a snow covered mountain with no other people in  

sight. They couldn't call for help. Joe knew  there was no way his friend Simon could carry  

him down. It was a 19,000 ft drop to the bottom.  Food and water were running out. If they didn't  

get down fast neither would survive. Most people  would have panicked or given up but Joe and Simon  

came up with a plan. They looked at their tools.  They had two ropes each 150 ft long; if they tied  

them together it would become a 300t rope with  the knot in the middle. In theory Joe could tie  

himself to one end and Simon to the other. If he  dug an anchor Point into the mountain, Simon could  

then lower Joe down the length of rope where he  could stand on his good unbroken leg. Simon could  

then climb down to meet him. If they did this over  and over again then theoretically they could make  

it down the mountain. They decided to turn the  rest of their journey into a game putting all  

their focus on the next ledge, the next slope,  one step at a time as if they were solving a  

puzzle. Joe said that: "a pattern of movements  developed after my initial wobbly hops and I  

meticulously repeated the pattern. Each pattern  made up one step across the slope and I began to  

feel detached from everything around me. I thought  of nothing but the patterns. This shift in mindset  

turned his struggle into a kind of dance, a  game that freed him from the terror of what  

he had to do. And it's something we see with many  people who survive disaster. Laurence Gonzalez the  

author of the book "Deep Survival," writes that:  "countless survivors have reported the same thing:  

by developing a pattern and then fixing on nothing  but making the pattern perfect they were able to  

get out of seemingly impossible situations... and  so Joe Simpson had come to accept his situation to  

reach the stage of playfulness." But Joe and  Simon ran into a huge problem; they reached  

a point where Simon had unknowingly lowered Joe  off a cliff where he had nothing to stand on. As  

he hung helplessly in the air neither of them had  any idea how far the drop was to the next ledge.  

Joe had no way of climbing back up the rope. Simon  couldn't pull him up and so they stayed there for  

more than an hour. Both were now in incredible  danger. Simon knew that if he tried to climb  

down they would both fall off the mountain so  there was only one thing he could do: with a  

heavy heart he took out his knife he decided to  cut the rope between them, knowing it would send  

Joe to his doom. In an instant, Joe dropped and  disappeared off the side of the cliff... and yet  

somehow Joe was still alive. He fell more than 200  ft and landed on a small ledge inside a crevasse,  

but when he looked up and saw that there  was no way to climb out, his only choice  

was to go down even deeper into the darkness,  and hope that there was some other way out.

"I really struggled to make this choice. I was so  scared of going deeper but the only other option  

was to just sit there blindly hoping things might  get better and I just knew it wasn't going to."  

And so down he went deeper into the unknown.  Gonzalez writes that the best survivors spend  

almost no time getting upset about the things  they've lost; they don't waste time drowning  

in negativity when things go badly. Why? Because  they're looking for a way to turn even the most  

horrifying situations into a game. This helps them  stay focused on the next step they have to take,  

and to accept the things they can't control.  Unbelievably, Joe found a path that led him  

outside into a beautiful sunny day, but now he  had to make the long gruelling hike back to camp,  

and his broken leg had only gotten worse. Even  here he continued to think of his situation as  

a game. He would look at a rock in the distance  and think: "I bet I can get there in 20 minutes."  

He timed his movements and if he got there in 18  minutes he was hysterically happy, but even if he  

was a few minutes late he just kept on going. By  all logic Joe should have died on that mountain.  

He spent days without food and almost no water  crawling and hopping with a broken leg through  

miles of ice and snow, and yet he lived. When Joe  looks back on his harrowing journey it fills him  

with a sense of amazement and gratitude. When you  reframe the problems in your life as a game, it  

gives you the resilience to keep on going even in  the most desperate situations, and it's something  

you can apply to your life right now. Maybe you're  studying for a tough exam. Maybe you're looking  

for a new job, or maybe you're struggling to  support your family. Whatever it is, you can  

reimagine your situation as a game where you put  your focus only on the next move you need to make.  

Ask yourself: what's the simplest step I can take  right now to move closer to where I need to be?

Here's another myth: "People don't want  challenge, that's why they follow the path  

of leas resistance. Obstacles and adversity make  everyone miserable. If you could somehow take away  

everyone's problems they would instantly become  happy." Here's what's wrong with that: let's look  

at what is arguably the most popular video game  of all time: Tetris. It sold 520 million copies  

worldwide and is considered by many to be the  most timeless video game ever made. But let me  

ask you a question: why does Tetris have all of  these different kinds of blocks? Seriously why so  

many? Wouldn't the game be a lot easier if there  was only one type of block? And wouldn't it be  

even easier still if we made that one block fill  the whole length of the screen? That way you'd win  

each and every time. You could do that but no one  would ever play that game. Winning it would feel  

hollow and unsatisfying. Why? Because we need  challenge. The human mind is uniquely designed  

to solve problems; we know this because there's an  unbroken chain from this moment that connects you  

to the very first human beings in which people  have solved complex problems one after another:  

from making fire, building shelter, growing food,  to harnessing electricity. Every technological  

advancement we enjoy today we have precisely  because of a need to overcome adversity. The  

English author and philosopher Alan Watts  captured the same basic insight with this  

thought experiment: "Imagine that every night  you can could dream any dream you wanted,  

and that you had the power within one night to  dream an entire lifetime. Naturally as you began  

on this adventure of dreams you would fulfill all  your wishes. You would have every kind of pleasure  

you could imagine, and after several nights  of several lifetimes of total pleasure each,  

you'd say: "well, that was pretty great." But  sooner or later you'd get bored. Your dreams  

would become too predictable, and so you'd say:  'let's have a surprise.' Let's have a dream which  

isn't under control where something's going to  happen to me and I have no idea what it's going  

to be. And you would love that, and you'd come  out of it and say 'wow, that was a close call  

wasn't it?" And then you'd get more and more  adventurous. You'd make further and further  

out gambles as to what you would dream, until  finally you would dream exactly where you are  

now. You would dream the dream of living the life  that you are actually living today." Our biggest  

mistake is in thinking that the perfect life is  one where we have no problems, no difficulties,  

and nothing to solve. Because obstacles are  a necessary part of every game worth playing;  

they're a vital part of life. When you understand  this, you can't look at things like failure,  

adversity, or loss in the same way. You stop  seeing them as some terrible punishment that  

happens only to make your life miserable. Instead  you begin to realize that every hardship in your  

life is there to move you forward in your growth  as a human being. Without them, your personal  

evolution would be impossible. So what do you  do? You follow your dream. You sign up for the  

class you've always wanted to take. You start  the business you've always wanted to start. You  

ask out the attractive stranger you've had a crush  on. You take that chance because this is the great  

adventure of your life. And in those moments when  you step to the edge of of what you think are your  

limits, when you genuinely aren't sure if you'll  succeed or not, those are the moments you're  

living most intensely what you were truly meant  to do. It's where the universe offers its most  

powerful lessons. It's what it means to "follow  your bliss." And in this beautiful collaborative  

game of life the paths you can take are limitless.  This I think is the whole reason we're here. It's  

not that we're actors on a stage. It's not that  life is some battle we have to endure or a test we  

have to suffer through, even if it sometimes feels  that way. Life is an experience we co-create with  

the universe. It's a game we get to play together  with the people we love; with friends old and  

new. It goes beyond conventional ideas of winning  and losing, because life is not a zero sum game;  

it's an infinite one where the best players  trust that life will equip you with everything  

you need to navigate and overcome every one of  its obstacles. To unleash the dream that lives  

within you. The best of us approach life with a  sense of play and know that "we don't stop playing  

because we grow old, we grow old because we stop  playing." So now that we've seen how envisioning  

your life as a game can unlock incredible untapped  potential within you, you might be wondering:  

how do I play it? What are some strategies  I can use in my own game? That is what we'll  

look at in the next video where I'll offer some  powerful tools you can use to help manifest your  

dream life. Once that video is ready you'll see it  appearing on the left side of the screen. If it's  

not there yet it means I'm still working on it but  I think you'll love the video on the right side of  

the screen. And I would absolutely love it if you  pressed the like button, it really helps me out.  

As always thanks so much for watching, take care  of yourselves, and I'll see you in the next one.