Blonging for Freedom/ Immitation Game for Cubs

Blonging for Freedom ? ~ ⁂ *

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It was a cruel game that they made us young lions play. Every day, the organizers demanded us to pick one of us, who was most unlike the rest of us, to be let go. I don't know how long this went for.

I recall cubs, myself included, trying to fit in by pretending to have the most prevalent traits (thus immitation game; a poor adaptation of Alan Turing's test), out of terror of being the one picked to be excluded. We didn't know what happened to the excluded, but hardly anyone ever came back.

I, a deep-thinker type, recall trying to come up with theories on what our deeper and most essential traits were, or how we should try to balance multiple such traits, but sooner or later I realized the game was rigged: whatever trait we went for, it would only be good until all remaining cubs had that trait, and then we'd have to redefine the criterion for the next round.

I was excluded eventually, but for some reason I was told to play the role of coach from then on. Presumably they expected me to make the game more interesting; I wonder if they think I did.

I taught the younger cubs how the game was rigged, and how playing as demanded was invariably playing to lose. I suggested them to think of variations and differences as a source of collective richness instead, rather than as deviations from an individual ideal. With that frame of thinking, every one of us was a worthy carrier of traits that contributed to our collective essense. That was how we could play to win.

Adoption was hesitant at first. We didn't know what to expect from refusing to appoint anyone for exclusion. The organizers took it surprisingly well. I explained our reasoning and suggested them to add some cubs with more wild variations to our team. They did: we got some wings, some fire, some extra strength, some colorful furs. And they also made me a regular player again.

I was a little worried about how the team would respond. My worries were unfounded. The differences in the new members were received with enthusiasm, and the determination to play to win was reinforced amongst themselves with joy and excitement never seen before. When called by the organizers to select someone for exclusion, they -- we collectively declined. And the cubs would turn to me and smile that we were playing to win.

This was a very special dream I had last night. I'm sure it's going to make me emotional every time I come back to it. Hopefully it will be meaningful to you as well.

So blong,