Games People Play: A Multidimensional Perspective

I dedicate this essay to Eric Berne, the founder of Transactional Analysis. Berne worked and taught in San Francisco for many years. His popular text, Games People Play: The Psychology of Human Relations (Grove Press, Inc. New York, 1964), included a humorous account of games such as “Now I’ve got you—you son of a bitch!” and “See what you made me do!” See: Games People Play: The Basic Handbook of ... - Amazon.com. Berne’s insights into the games people play are timeless. Eric died in 1970. He continues to be missed….

1) There are two concepts form Berne’s work I wish to employ:

 

a) Stoke Economy—This means how many times a day a person is stimulated through interactions with others. Most people need strokes to feed “recognition hunger,” thereby keeping their “spinal cord from shriveling” (page 15).


b) Psychological Level vs. Social Level—This concept is a description of what usually goes on in human interactions: At one level, the social level, one meaning is conveyed while at the psychological level something entirely different is being communicated. 


Example: Say a 13-year old girl asks the team captain of the football team if he “would you like some of my candy?” While this might be an honest instance of sharing, it might also be part of a game in which she shares more than her candy. 


c) From a multidimensional perspective, I would add a third: The demonically-controlled level. Here we see what’s really going on: Outside entities are using the life force of human beings to feed off and thus they control the actions of human beings via the Ego. The Ego is a female-like construction which develops in childhood as self-consciousness arises. The Ego represents darkness and is incapable of telling the truth. 


2) The purpose of the program which demonic forces use to control the ego is to derive strokes. Strokes are part of a feedback system which indicates human beings are all connected. So if someone praises you for doing a great job, you will no doubt feel “stroked.” This is an emotional response. Satan will control the actions of the various players in order to achieve its stroke economy for each day.


3) Each person will be genetically wired with a set of pre-programmed characteristics which can be activated. These include instinctual responses, and various gadgets such as humor, rage, and joy. The program will cause individuals with inherited qualities to respond in a certain way; free will at the ego level is an illusion.


4) From an analysis of the program, we can see there will be called for so many responses: So in San Francisco 50 people will need to be murdered each year. If one looks at the recent murder rates in the City each year it is around 50 (within a 99% confidence level that it will be between 40 and 60 per year). Note that John Von Neumann, (John von Neumann - Wikipedia) one of the greatest mathematicians to ever lived, made a similar observation and called this statistical phenomenon “black magic” which had no rational explanation. I find this amazing! 


5) The “Ego-Alien” Hypothesis claims people are playing games in order to create a “stimulus-response” in order to activate various reactions in human being. So Satan will program or cause human beings to constantly fuck each other up so the demons can eat.


6) How to get out of this mess? 


a) At a social level, human beings will need to return to their roots and start living in tribes or small communities which remain intact. This means human beings are no longer tied to their jobs for survival, but are directly connected to each other. In this context, intimacy and love will have a chance to flourish.


b) At the psychological level, a dedication to the truth will stop one from playing games. This means one is honest in actions, words, and intentions. Usually, one will follow Jesus’ advice and “fast from the world” (Saying 27, Gospel of Thomas). 


c) At the multidimensional level, the truth seeker will need to activate the transpersonal self (a chakra outside the brain) to see what is happening. I would conjecture that THC, a psychoactive substance in marijuana, is helpful in this activation.


7) When human beings see that Physical Immortality is possible and that an Immortal Civilization can be constructed, the Kingdom of God will come forth. At this point, people will no longer need to play games as we are all united at the Truth Consciousness. Intimacy and love will be all there is. May this day arrive soon!