The Infinite Game, by Simon Sinek

“Finite players play within boundaries; infinite players play with boundaries.”
― James Carse, Finite and Infinite Games

The Infinite Game was an excellent and inspiring read and one that I would gladly recommend to anyone.

However, there was one deep frustration: Why bother?

Why does any of it matter? I agree wholeheartedly with the thesis of the book and want to believe in a Just Cause that I can devote my life to with a team of like minded individuals. I want to be a man of integrity whose ethics do not fade. But in the end why should I?

It seems to me that if there is not an infinite transcendent Moral Cause-giver who holds us accountable for our actions and rewards us for our sacrifices, then whichever game we play – infinite or finite – it doesn’t really matter.

If in the end, all the game pieces go back in the box and we’re buried and forgotten and life goes on without us until eventually the entire universe dies and all there is left is eternal lifeless, lightless former stardust (matter), then why bother except to feel good about easing the way for a few people during a very finite moment of time as the universe inexorably cools down and dies over the next several billion or trillion years.

That is hardly inspiring enough to sustain a commitment to a Just Cause for a life time.

The author’s silence on this is disconcerting and, at least for me, kept undermining the inspiring message of the book. I kept waiting for an infinite something or someone to ground the Just Cause in; it never happened.

Mr. Sinek is described as an optimist, but the irony is that his optimism is very finite.

But, being such a good author, hopefully someday Mr. Sinek will deal with this issue.