This is no game. It is real life.

Game A — a zero sum, finite game that sucks the joy out of life

Game A is a recognized shorthand to describe the pervasive competitive, win-lose, mechanistic, reductionist, extractive and exploitive paradigm that has contaminated our ways of operating and interacting across all dimensions of society.

It is based on a scarcity mindset whereby the only way to gain, succeed or win is for others to lose.

It breeds egocentric self-interest and distrust and often rewards short-term (financial economic) results at the expense of the long term impact on the system (the whole.)

People learn to play by Game A rules, seemingly the only way to get ahead and even when they’d prefer a different way, they may feel trapped by it.

Sound familiar? Yup…

Game B — an infinite game towards a better tomorrow

Game B is a recognized shorthand that encapsulates an alternative paradigm for which to strive.

It is described in a variety of ways as a collaborative, win-win, regenerative way of operating and interacting across all dimensions of society.

It is based on a foundation of trust, an abundance mindset, enlightened self-interest and generous, ecocentric principles whereby everybody (people and planet) can benefit.

It embraces a longer term perspective on results and meaningful outcomes (beyond financial) for the good of society as a whole.

Some who subscribe to Game B describe it as a future state.

With many adaptive variations on the theme, it is sometimes depicted as a utopian vision that will never be (fully) achieved.

Living between worlds (paradigms,) many wrestle with how to get there, or whether it is even feasibly within the realm of possibility.

We heartily resonate with the aspirations reflected in Game B…

And we aren’t waiting around hoping to get there some day…maybe…somehow…

With every passing year, the need to make real progress shifting toward a life-affirming way to live, work and be, is painfully, poignantly compellingly evident. Without definitively knowing all the ways to support needed SHfT, we’re kinda moving beyond WannaB…

Game Be and Generation Be. Now.

We are being the change (and the systems) we want to see in the world.

We are also seeing the indicators — in every direction — that the world is more ready. As the meta-perma-poly crises escalate, the usual ways of operating are crumbling. While this is experienced as very destabilizing and unsettling, it creates the impetus and appetite to explore alternatives.

We embrace much of what Game B represents, with a twist as we bring our determined unstitutional spirit along.

The Game Be way will emerge while we are being Game Be, through learning and adaptation. We’re activating our abundance mindshift and mindset — helping to open up the pathways that can potentially manifest life-affirming patterns.

We approach every day being collaborative and inclusive and seeking a wide diversity of perspectives, capabilities, backgrounds and interests.

Everything we do is aiming to enhance life for the benefit of humanity — all living things and the planet.

Not perfect…nothing is ever perfect. Life and being human is messier. Shadow and light. These shifts are not clear cut binary either-or worlds. Reality invariably will always include variable colourful nuance.

We are not framing it as an elusive utopia that may never arrive. We hold a vision of regenerative living while focusing on the journey, on the tangible progress we can make — not some elusive idealized destination.

We’ve observed that many people, especially youth, already get it without ever having heard the concepts.

Bring on Generation Be, something to celebrate, whoever we are, wherever we are, whenever we are being it and seeing it in action!

The scope and magnitude of shifts required to nurture a life-affirming ecological civilization can be overwhelming. Many of our current societal foundations have begun to unravel, stressed by multiple overlapping systemic failings. The threads that held things together are frayed. Every year, as social, ecological and economic destabilization escalates, as climate-related events accrue, as social and economic injustice intensifies, and as life for many people becomes increasingly intolerable — the old conventional narratives lose their grip on the collective. Many more of us are looking for new viable pathways that make common[s] sense, enabling us all to live into a future they we can believe in. We are Generation Be.

What are Unstitution’s Activation Principles?

We thought long and hard about our operating principles, our values, our conduct — in essence, our ways of being true to who we are and how we roll.

Too often these descriptors are more aspirational than reality. Another manifesto. Nice words that ring hollow.

WannaB gets stuck in more “blah blah.”

We recognize how important it is to be congruent, walking-the-talk, matching the words with the music. Always mindfully working at it…

We settled on activation principles, which are best encapsulated by being Game Be.

We are Generation Be!

Will we f*ck up at times? Sure. We are all messy humans.

But we are determined to continually work at it and there are many of us already traversing these pathways.

With every passing day there are so many more amazing stories that are being unearthed. What is your story?

Let’s make stories together!

Oh, and BTW, we operate from a belief that, in the grand scheme, there is roughly enough of everything to go around — though not evenly or equitably distributed.

And with 8 billion people on a vast planet there’s so much work that needs to be done — imagine the progress that can become more possible as more of us live into Game Be ways.

“Traveller, there is no path. The path is made by walking. By walking you make a path” ~Antonio Machado

As people engage in collaborative communities, initiatives and coalitions toward common[s] purpose, this becomes increasingly evident. Instead of competing, from a win-lose zero sum game, people discover a wealth of capabilities and possibilities — gifts differing — that were previously unknown, untapped or inaccessible.

The abundance mindshft is activated when we are being Game Be as joyful contributors to Generation Be.

To uncover more about Unstitution and how we came to be, click here.

Unstitution was birthed as a collective creative commons and nested ecosystem. We (co-)catalyze and support collaborative communities, initiatives and coalitions where people from across sectors, disciplines, cultures, generations and walks-of-life work together on mission critical issues. From readiness through to regenerative progress — moving beyond polarization — is how we roll. The links embedded throughout this article are a warm invitation to go a bit deeper, at any time. For more insights reflecting our ongoing journey, our suite of Unstitution articles are published on Medium. They portray a small sample of the ways we are adapting and contributing among ever-expanding commons-based communities and initiatives inspired and fuelled by citizens — perhaps better described as denizens — anywhere in the world — living into the principles and spirit that govern our collaborative work.

You can follow Unstitution and engage with us on LinkedIn. Many of our posts and perspectives also pop up under hashtags #messyhumanness and #wisdomwithteeth.

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