Jenga as a game has always intrigued me , so much so that I have wondered if anyone could play it sober and not question how futile it is as a concept. You start by assembling the setup and then spend the rest of the time in picking apart your toil and placing the picked-out blocks on top of the remaining fragile setup, You then wait for someone to bring their bravado into the picture only to watch your countless minutes of hard-work disassemble into a bunch of scattered blocks. Jenga is not like other games, here you do not have a winner but rather have a loser who happens to bear the brunt of their flaky risk-taking abilities; "He who dares wins" is certainly not a principle that applies to Jenga.
The game with all its absurdities and silent thoughts of "Can we like play something else?" does happen to provide a peculiar understanding of the civilization or as some nihilists would call it-'The story so far'. The universe according to proponents of the Big Bang theory began with the explosion of a single particle and continues to expand as you read this article; As fascinating as that sounds it happens to be a narrative that is largely challenged by religious institutions only to be replaced by separate narratives of their own ranging from Brahma's head to the biblical references to the Garden of Eden. Irrespective of whatever theory seems more convincing (or exciting) one can not deny the role of these narratives as paradoxical ideologies that continue to shape the 'Post-Cognitive World'.
The world that existed before an Insignificant Primate rose to the ranks of Homo sapiens and the one that we live in today provides an interesting contrast. One might even move to the extent of saying that it is almost as anecdotal as it is Physical; With thousands of years of narratives that followed the ability of Homo sapiens to create concepts that do not necessarily exist in the free world forming the basis of the civilization as a concept. These narratives render meaning to the concept of society and can often be seen as a pragmatic (and less jingoistic) answer to the age-old open-ended question "What does it mean to be Human?".
As minimalistic as it sounds, These narratives are like blocks of Jenga with those of one generation lying on top of those of the other forming a tower that we call civilization. People (Or those in power?) for more than a Millenia have put together these narratives and shaped the world that we have inherited; Shaping the way we perceive the world as an anecdotal entity living as much in the collective imaginations of people as in the realms of Physicality. The rules of the game sadly apply here too, blocks lying in the middle are picked out first and placed strategically on the top; with each generation creating narratives of its own and shaping the world differently only to leave the bottom blocks vulnerable and rendering the tower fragile.
Narratives that form the bottom blocks are crucial for the game to continue; They form the foundation of the tower and everyone who is playing the game knows of it. There's a murmur within the room as people eye the corner block that supports the entire frame. As the game progresses and we run out of 'safe' blocks to pick, each block that is left seems to be that one block that will bring the tower down. Sensing a rise in complexity, A rather interesting person in the group sleazily picks a block that has just been laid on the top but is met with a volley of protest from the rest. Sadistic some might say but again what is a narrative that isn't controversial at first. As the tower becomes hollow from the bottom and heavier on top, a film of cold sweat is seen on the foreheads of those who are deriving pleasure from the game. Foreseeing a definite fall, Some have given up and choose to focus on the indie music playing in the background choosing to focus on indulgence rather than principles. Seeing the intensity rise, New players join the game and bring in an aspect of uncertainty.
The game that the new players inherit is full of uncertainties, with the bottom block still in place there's always a plausible reason to suspect a collapse. Foreseeing a mutual fallout, the new players discuss ways of keeping the bottom blocks in place. This discussion is not as cooperative as it sounds and is governed by a 'Not in my name' approach. Since the circle is smaller than it was before, even whispers can be heard with stark clarity. A periodic phase of conspiracy is seen amongst the players, with those with greater leverage coming together to shape the tower and make it less volatile to a fallout. After all, the narrative at the foundation is all that's holding it together.
But here lie the governing questions that everyone seems to be ignoring...What is the bottom block? and Why are we still enjoying this game so much? The answer to these questions will probably never see their way out of ambiguity, maybe because we don't ask questions whose answers we don't want to know.
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