I think next week I will play a game called “I Am the Cosmos.”
The game is based on the idea that we are stardust, an idea prominently featured in the Joni Mitchell song “Woodstock.” One way of looking at life is that life is the universe becoming aware of itself. So, I would like to experience my world as the universe rather than the small part of it known as Ira Nayman. (In case you were wondering, the name of the game also comes from a song; the version I am most familiar with is This Mortal Coil’s cover from the album Blood.)
Why play this game? The main reason is that I have been too fixated on the negatives in my life, lately, and could use some perspective. Let’s see how much I can let go of my ego and see the broader picture.
I will also say that it cannot hurt to see if I can find connections between things that people don’t usually put together. Such insights could be useful in my future writing.
If you think it’s weird that I, an arch-rationalist, would take such an approach, it’s worth remembering that I wrote a book of short stories that take place after the Singularity, when all objects in the universe, from the smallest sub-atomic particle to stars, galaxies and the universe itself, has become conscious. So, for the couple of years that I worked on that project, I was already living with the concept of the universe being aware of itself; this game makes it a little more personal.
At the end of the week, I’ll let you know who wins, but the smart money is on the universe.