Finite and Infinite Games

I have always liked James P Carse book “Finite and Infinite Games”. He defines a Finite Games, as ones where we play by the rules; and Infinite Games as ones where we play with the rules. I lean the latter.

I have wanted to change the world since I was ten year’s old. The world seemed doomed without a change of course.  I have tried many goes at it with increasing $ resources at my disposal, at least until I retired. I reached out to various experts in a huge variety of fields. I tried to make business alliances to make change happen in organizations. But somehow the experts, even those, whose stated stuck was changing the world, never really embraced changing the world. Experts in conflict, neuroscience, healthcare, learning systems, and many other fields. I have therefore practiced as Sam Beckett says:  “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

I was thinking strategically of my next reach out to change the world. I realized that actually the problem is that the experts are all playing their own Finite Game. I roll up and suggest a different game, an Infinite Game that might make a modest contribution to changing the world.  The experts or business folks performatively welcome this. But in reality, they see it as a threat to their Finite academic or business game. They then use all their intelligence and all their talent to block out the new game. And I fail again, better?

They say madness is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. So I am reflecting whether I will go for my next fail better? Am I playing a Finite Game of my own: failing with Finite Games Players? How could I change my game into an Infinite One, play with the rules not by their rules? There is also this: I have never been interested in “winning”. Finite Games players not so much…