5. Which Game Do You Want to Play?

Hey there mates,

Have you ever stopped to think about the game we’re all playing—one we never signed up for, but got tossed into anyway? It’s the classic win-lose competition: if someone wins, someone else has to take the hit. That’s the way the world seems to run. The incentives are all wrong. Forests are deemed more valuable chopped down than alive and breathing. Farmland’s worth more paved over for solar panels than feeding families. This rat race is what we call “Game A.”

If you’re anything like me, you’re over the constant grind—chasing endless victories that leave you tired and relationships that feel about as genuine as cheap networking events. Lucky for us, there’s another way.

Game A is all about winning. That’s the whole point. Problem is, it’s left us with things like:

• Military and defence industries that actually need conflict to prosper (peace equals bankruptcy for them).
• A health system built to profit most from keeping us perpetually “not quite well” rather than truly healthy.

But what if there’s a better game—one we’d actually want our kids and grandkids playing? One built on economic security that comes from helping each other out and innovating without trashing the joint.

Enter “Game B.” This is the win-win game. For you or your crew to get ahead, everyone around you has to do well too. It’s not a race to the finish; it’s about keeping the whole system healthy and humming—kind of like nature has always done.

That’s what we’re trying to build with Communities of Light, and I reckon if you’re reading this, deep down you want it too (even if it’s just been a vague itch so far). So what exactly is Game B?

It’s an environment where teamwork, brainpower, and family wellbeing take centre stage. We work with complex systems—not against them. At its heart, Game B is about things just clicking together naturally—about coherence, like your own body. Every organ’s in balance, only doing as much as needed, no one part trying to take over. Compare that to a rogue cell (think cancer) that just keeps growing without a care for the whole. Sure, it “wins”… but then the whole body loses.

Game B’s goal? Keep the game going. Not burnt out.

How do we get there?

• Damage control: Clean up the mess Game A left—like picking up plastics or managing illness. Necessary, but not the whole solution.
• Transition: Build new ways of doing things. Move resources over, test ideas, and set up systems that work for us—not just for big business.
• Establish Game B: Cultivate local food webs over global supply chains. Rely on neighbours, swap resources, create community safety nets. Make wealth circulate locally and look after each other when things go sideways.

Where Game A is all prescriptions and isolation, Game B is all about complexity and embracing the unknown. It’s messy, but it’s real. We won’t find a roadmap—only the courage to try, listen, and adjust as we go.

It’s happening now, bit by bit. Us and plenty of other groups out there are putting real change into motion. The big decision? Are you helping build the new way, or waiting for someone to send you the invite?

One practical tip: Play with your whole heart. Listen to what life and your body are telling you. Tune yourself—whether that’s through heart felt prayer, a run, a good old-fashioned deep chat, peaceful meditation or pushing through a challenge. It’s not always easy—I had to clear a fair bit of noise in my own life before I found my next move (spoiler: it’s this work).

So I’ll leave you with this: What’s your full self, nudging you to do next?

It all starts with you. Let’s choose the game we want to play—and build something brilliant together.

Here’s to our Forever Freedom

Susannah