I will update this with a video and podcast, my apologies the holidays have made things difficult.
GG's Church
How to Discover Your Main Quest?
I hope this message finds you wellâand if it doesnât, thatâs okay too. We've reached another Sunday, which means itâs time for another message. My hope is that it inspires you, validates you, and gives you the strength to keep pushing forward.
Some of you may be wondering how we got here, both in your immediate life and existentially. While neither I nor the Church have a definitive answer, there are interpretations for you to explore. Ultimately, I hope you will choose your own.
---
Where Are We?
First, we need to take a look at where we are. I've been following your messages in the advice and support channel on Discord. I see the struggles youâre going through, and some of you are being hit really hard right now.
The world isnât in the best state either. Many of you come from Christian backgrounds, and it would be naĂŻve to ignore how âend-times-yâ everything feels.
We have wars in the Middle East.
Climate disasters are happening left and right.
People are making difficult decisions to separate from loved ones whose political ideologies threaten their safety.
Everywhere you look, there is pain and suffering. Whatâs even more frustrating is how often the villains in this MMORPG we call Being Human seem to thrive. Those who choose to grief the servers are rewarded with financial success, and their behavior is not only encouragedâitâs celebrated.
Our algorithms are infected with divisive rhetoric and complaints about wokeness, diversity, and inclusion. Instead of celebrating the beauty of the world, these voices amplify negativity.
---
Why Does Suffering Persist?
One question we might ask is: Why?
Why, in a world with abundant resourcesâmany renewable and readily available, in a world full of infinite beauty and possibility, in a world that could be a paradiseâdoes suffering persist?
More importantly: What can be done to stop it?
And: From where do we draw the energy to try?
One of the greatest questions in existence is: Why is there something rather than nothing? Iâd add: Why does that something have to include suffering?
---
Possible Answers
When we look for answers, none feel entirely satisfying.
Christianity tells us that God, a perfect and all-knowing being, created the heavens and the earth. This decision directly led to the eventual existence of evil and suffering. Proponents often say free will is a gift, but Iâve wondered:
Why would a perfect being create anything at all if they were truly in need of nothing?
Why wouldnât such a being create only those who would choose good?
And why give us a tool (free will) that they knew weâd misuse to harm each other?
Science tells us everything arose from nothing billions of years ago. Through evolution, life spontaneously emerged via the perfect mix of water, chemicals, and heat. Eventually, microbes became microbiologists. While I can understand gradual changes over billions of years, I struggle to accept the idea of something from nothing.
What we can all agree on, however, is this: Something exists.
---
The Absurdity of Existence
Hereâs the truth: As long as weâre here, asking the question, weâll never truly be able to answer why weâre here.
This realization splits people into two groups:
1. Those who sit with the absurdity of existence.
2. Those who seek answers from others to make sense of it all.
In the Church of New Game Plus, one of our most sacred principles is Infinite Choice. We believe everyone has the right to define their own reason for being here, so long as it respects othersâ interpretations.
This doesnât mean interpretations wonât conflict, but we seek to find connection in those conflicts.
---
Life as a Video Game
To me, life is best understood as a video game called Being Human.
Who created it? I donât knowâany more than a character in Baldurâs Gate 3 knows about Larian Studios.
Why was it created? Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe itâs an experiment by advanced intelligence, or perhaps itâs a game being played by future versions of ourselves.
What I do believe is that life is a video game, and this perspective helps me make sense of our current state of affairs.
Once we accept this, certain questions become less relevantâor their answers, though unpalatable, must be accepted:
Why are we here? Because weâre programmed to be.
Whatâs our purpose? Whatever you choose it to be.
Why is there suffering? Because of glitches in the code.
Where did the glitches come from? Perhaps, like biological evolution, the source code of existence is prone to errors.
---
Your Main Quest
This brings us to todayâs sermon: What are you going to do about it?
In non-linear games, weâre presented with a variety of quests to undertake. Life is no different. However, while video games have a limited number of quests due to programming constraints, life offers near-infinite possibilities:
Do you want to help solve world hunger?
Do you want to become rich and famous?
Do you want to escape and live in a cabin in the woods?
You alone have the power to dictate the narrative of your gameâand with that power comes great responsibility, owed to no one but yourself.
---
Finding Your Quest
How do you determine your main quest, especially if youâve realized you were following one laid out by someone else?
The answer lies in your internal emotional system:
What activates your nervous system?
What injustice or unfairness angers or saddens you?
For me, itâs knowing so many gamers believe thereâs something wrong with themâthat theyâre broken and need fixing. But the truth is, theyâre doing their best to navigate a world thatâs broken.
Thatâs why I started this Church: to bring people together, show them theyâre not alone, and help them find connection and support.
---
Small Steps
Often, when we choose a main quest, the sheer scope of the work can overwhelm us. The small steps we need to take can feel insignificant in the face of the larger goal.
But remember: Progress in games happens step by step. Life is no different.
Drink water.
Nourish your body.
Move, even a little.
Create spaces to rest, relax, and respawn.
---
Final Thoughts
If this message helped you today, I invite you to join our Patreon and get involved in our community. Letâs create a sanctuary to level up and grow together.
Remember: Youâre not alone, and this game isnât single-player. Your community is waiting.
GG.
Derrick Hoard
2024-12-07 02:33:54 +0000 UTCMike
2024-12-07 01:23:56 +0000 UTCMike
2024-12-07 01:23:45 +0000 UTCAThievesEnd04
2024-11-24 23:43:42 +0000 UTCDerrick Hoard
2024-11-24 23:42:24 +0000 UTCScar Rivers
2024-11-24 23:38:16 +0000 UTC