Ahead of him lay 7 trials, each in a different world. For example, the first one is the Bridge of Death, where the other side of the bridge is unknown because you’ll die when you cross. Actually, that’s all I want to say about the story. Go play and find out for yourself.

Link to download here.

Instructions: unzip file, open folder and look for the .exe, say yes for extract, open the new folder, click the knight chess piece icon.
F1 if you want to toggle between fullscreen and window screen.

Credit to Enterbrain for RPG Maker VX and XP, and “Mack” for Mack tilesets.

Please do give me feedback, be critical, be positive, be negative, anything’s ok. If you find bugs let me know. But if you’re stuck, first try using the “wisdom nut”, the built-in FAQ. It’s not meant to be used unless you’re going to consult a walkthrough anyways. If you have any questions about the game or anything, ask me too. Comment on this post, or email me zx2004@gmail.com or facebook Larry Xiang (Ziwei).

Lately I’ve been really iffy with the electronic medium. Sure, you can express meaningful and entertaining thoughts on a blog or in a game, but ultimately the real change is in the real world. There, you are truly working with people. And words I believe are meant to be fluid. What I say today may not apply tomorrow. My words could lead to something I didn’t intend. And truth is not found in words. Or movies and games. So I’m considering taking a break from blogging to see what I can find in the real world. Of course, I’ve always been taking long breaks. This time I’m just telling you about it haha.

Universal truth storytelling is different from religion because it’s an intrinsic human inclination and how we act upon it. We seek the unseen truth and the tale of our universe. It’s not just a story either because many things are connected to it: love, conflict, loss, philosophy, truth, people, the past, the future, purpose, what life’s about, how it’s done. It’s what’s unwaveringly painted into novels, adventures, legends, movies, games, stories, come to real life. Because I believe our universe is like that. As silly as it sounds, life is a story so great we don’t even begin to comprehend it. You may look around you and tell me there’s just a consistent, atomic, physical universe. But that’s what makes the truth what it is: hidden and unattainable.

So how do major religions interpret it (with simplification and possible misrepresentation)?

Judaism In a perfect garden men faltered. Through one man’s descendant’s seed came a priest nation that was supposed to lead the world to the one true Elohim. “Commandments” is a rough translation because the actual meaning is something you have to honor of following, not something forced upon you. Non-moral laws served to distinguish Jews from others, remind them of the LORD, and keep the society intact and healthy. One day the messiah will deliver the world from evil.

Christianity When the priest nation failed The Holy One out of love for humanity sent himself as a man to die for and save us from the sins that will drag us to hell. Live a righteous life, but be unbound from laws and rituals. One day when the evil of the world is exceedingly great it will be judged and destroyed. The chosen ones to be saved will live a new life on a new earth.

Islam To correct idolaters and Christians, Allah is one. Life is a test and in the judgement everyone will be evaluated based on their life here. A set of laws and rituals are once again given to keep man close to Allah and to keep human desires from going out of control. Many prophets have been sent before, and these are well-liked and respected men who lived the example of righteousness.

Hindu Life is a neverending cycle where you choose where you want to be. How you live determines your future lives. The universe is in a balance of creation, destruction, and balance. The 3 highest Beings, which are one, represent these 3 parts. Rituals and regulations have been removed as to respect life, live righteously, and seek higher wisdom is a personal choice with personal implications.

To me, the two worse ways to live life is in materialistic atheism or religious legalism. To deny your immaterial consciousness and your desire to seek universal truth storytelling is to deny a fair part of your humanity. It’s like saying you’ll embrace every good thing in life, but refrain from romance and love. It’s doable, but (unless you have a good reason) makes no sense. On the other hand, to misinterpret and follow your religion in an unintended manner makes your own life and possibly lives around you miserable and confused. You think you’re devout, but you’ve abandoned the original intention of your “beliefs”. Just think of Christianity and the church in the past and Islamic extremists now for clear examples.

I’m not saying this or that religion is true or not, and I’m not making any presumptions about God. I’m not encouraging people to be religious either. These are just my contemplations on religion. However, universal truth storytelling, to live as if there were something beyond physical-visual existence, I believe to be the valid human pursuit of truth.

The problem

There are a lot of girls that are pretty and have good personality.

Marriage

To me, this is the answer. It’s the most satisfying and healthy way. It makes the most sense. Even those reasons aside, marriage is temporary. I don’t think we’re gonna “be together forever”. I don’t know what will come down after death, but marriage seems to be something of this life. And because life is short it’s perfectly suited for going in depth with one woman. Then the question is who? And is there a Mr/Mrs Right? Hopefully by being lonely yet patient we’ll achieve the balance.

The great battle

The irrefutable desire is natural and good, but in the body of man, it becomes a powerful beast. So why not consider it a noble struggle to this tame this beast, a struggle given to the real men of the world? To give in is essentially selfish pride. It doesn’t benefit the girls and puts off other guys. And who is truly free? The one who does whatever he “wants”, or the one who is free to wait? Before contraception, sex was the intricate, almost sacred gift given from above to continue life. When sex is disconnected from the springing of new life in a relationship it becomes a dirty act. This is even more so when romance and love is also disconnected.

The bigger picture

I don’t have the hindsight of age, but I assume that a wise old man would look back into all this and see it in proper perspective. Sex isn’t everything. Our humanity goes much farther.

With delicate subjects like lust, religion, and death we writers must take care in how we speak of it. I hope I’ve done that much, please excuse all else.

Humans are the only species that can be dead on the outside, but alive on the inside. We can live mundane lives where we simply go through the motions, yet be alive in our mind. Whether it be art, imagination, philosophy, intellect, humour, contemplation, or pure unbridled optimism and joy. Which leads to…

A theme of this blog is the pursuit of the natural high. Sure weed can get you high, but the truly noble, real, and worthy high is natural. You don’t need money, you don’t need funny shaped leaves, you don’t need brain harming.

Uncertainty. To know is joy, but to be unable to fully truly know is greater joy. Because it’s the unknown that makes the world greater and bigger than we can imagine. A world that always has unsolved questions and surprises, and that turns our paradigms upside down from time to time is a world I want to live in. It’s more than I can understand or “confirm” and define with human standards of thought. A big example is…

Death. It brings to an end something that’s transient. It’s the beginning of a new world. Will I be in a different …realm? Will the curtains of this present world be drawn away, so I can understand everything I didn’t while I was alive in this world? Or will I experience nothing? To me continual sustained maintained existence is less beautiful than passing, fleeting, beauty. Here today, but the wind has taken it tomorrow. However, I am only referring to natural death, because…

Life is beautiful. I’ve said it before, but life is a short blessing that we could have not even had in the first place. Once you see it as a chance, a playground, a beautiful phenomenon, you’ll want to live it more fully and courageously. It’s so open… it’s like earth is symbolic. The open sky is a metaphor for the open possibilities of life.

Character and suffering go hand in hand. Suffering brings out the beauty of character. To persist in the face of evil is a great good. “When you suffer, be happy.” In the midst of darkness the soul is given the chance to be illuminated. Like one man standing up to a tsunami, and a flower blooming in the ruined wasteland. Yet the struggle is not without reason…

The epic story. Every epic tale we’ve heard, watched, read, played, may be happening right now. Why do these tales exist other than to reflect something in our collective memory, or mission? We don’t know what came before, and we don’t know what comes after. Unbeknown to us, we could be a part of a bigger thing we can’t even imagine.

It is a rare experience when you become human with another human. I said it recently on fb, but the connection can happen through deep conversation about the Higher ONE, life, relationships, global matters. It’s a kind of feeling blocked by politeness and animosity, but in the rare times it happens we realize more of our humanity and who we are. But this is only one type of being human with other humans…

Because of course, girls (or vice versa if you’re a girl). It’s a terrible evil to see them as sexual objects, because the full, intended, original relationship is so much more. It’s a big topic, but not much left to say for now.

Looking back, I apologize if this post sounded prescriptive or factly. And also, I don’t mean to say death, suffering, etc. are good things, just that their context in this life and how we handle them can be beautiful or character-invoking.

People do their best work when they’re not motivated by money (and print: given a cognitive or creative task). This makes sense if you think about it. As humans, we’re made for meaningful work like helping the world, getting better at something, exercising our capacity, or cognitive enjoyment. In this way, true liberation once again happens. When we are able to free ourselves from the compelling demand to make more money and have more stuff and material pleasure, we can make room for true meaningful things. To make a difference somewhere or in someone, to challenge our minds or bodies, to experience how deep life goes. That is human.

In south manhattan this sculpture symbolizes the american dream. Fewer and fewer climb toward the top until they realize they've been climbing the wrong ladder.

Then perhaps the ideal business model would be to pay everyone roughly the same (necessary finances needed to live in the area plus a couple thousand), then foster community and purpose in your organization. Why do you exist and why should you grow? If the business cannot answer this question meaningfully then it shouldn’t be. From profit over people let’s POP [People Over Profit] it back the right way. (yes, I had to end on a cheesy liner)

Though I wouldn’t prefer to call it that. I see it as a philosophical challenge to confront the tough questions being thrown at you. I call it life slapping you in the face when you thought you had it down.

Life is short. This is incredibly liberating when you take it fully in. It means that you don’t have to fear and live this life cautiously and anxiously. I’ve been blessed with this time, this body, this world, and now I can do whatever with it. In fact, we could redefine “life” to refer to our super-universal story. What do we know about life abruptly ending after death? Very little. No evidence, no certainty. Yet intuitively we know life is grand beyond our earth and our imagination. This short life could be just a segment in our beautiful journey. Sure, there is no certainty here either, but let’s think it over.

Without knowing what comes after death, I will assume I can reach about 80 to 90 years here. Looking at this time my feeling is “short”. 80 to 90 years is very short. So then what do I have to worry about? Should I live a bitter life with no comfort, few pleasures, no fulfillment and none of my goals attained it’s okay. It’s okay. The consequence is like nothing. Let this life be whatever it will be. Yet because it’s so short it frees me to experiment. To pursue whatever goals I want. To be irrationally happy. To take it and play it like I’m in a sandbox. To be relaxed and worry-free.

In the end it leaves us incredibly grateful. I could have had nothing, but the greater forces above which we know little about has blessed us with this chance to live, be free, and be happy. Even suffering tastes sweet. I take it gladly, and know in my mind that unbeknown to me there were universes of life before and after this, and should I be given and blessed again I will the rest of life beyond this one.

No, not GDP growth. Nope, not a strong dollar. Nor meeting supply with demand. The most important function should be to provide meaningful jobs. By meaningful I mean it contributes something worthwhile to the world. Think of how many trashy rap and pop songs you’d weed out of existence if you could. Now think the same for the economy at large.

Frank, do you mean to imply that growth is not important?

I don’t mean to imply, I mean to state empathetic-ally. Growth does mean there is more economic activity. But who is the fool who declares all economic activity is good? Most of it exists simply to drive our rampant consumerism. We are left behind with an unsatisfied emotional-spiritual-relational life and massive environmental damage. We shouldn’t triumph simply because GDP is up. At this rate and with our methods, “economic growth” will kill the planet before the next meteor.

Automation first from machines and now from computers has eliminated many jobs. Yet we need growth to replenish these jobs. How do you resolve this conflict?

While it’s true that growth can resupply jobs, we cannot just keep on growing. HOWEVER, job creation is independent of economic growth. As long as a person can employ himself doing something that is valuable enough to be bought, unemployment rate should theoretically be zero.

This is hardly the situation nowadays Frank!

No doubt. But ask yourself this simple question: given the country’s total wealth and money, should every man, woman, and child be able to have enough to survive at a reasonable standard of living?

Certainly. The problem is in its distribution.

Correct. Now, it wouldn’t be realistic to ask all the haves to kindly share their money and even out the distribution, would it? However, labor needs are also fluid and can be distributed among the job seeking. The question then, is how we can create and distribute jobs without meaninglessly growing the economy.

And that was my next question.

The answer is remarkably simple. Legislate a salary cap. No man can make more than $100,000 a year, whether on single jobs, multiple jobs, personal start-ups, and what not. The maximum amount of money going into any one man’s bank account is $100,000. This simple action addresses several root issues. One is work attitude. People are putting more hours than necessary into their work for the sake of earning more money. They lose family time, and well, their life too. The less overworked individuals clock in, the more labor there is for others to take up. Another is company attitude. Business executives do everything within their power to raise their profits. This includes overworking employees, expecting employees to accomplish too much, and cutting costs by cutting labor needs. Once there is a salary cap, business executives are no longer bound by the rule of profit. They’ve reached their income ceiling long ago. They will be freer to hire more people, give employees reasonable portions of work, and even create departments that may not have been seen as “profitable” before. Perhaps now with the profit-maximizing law out of the picture they will spend for the community, for their employees, for the planet, for good will across the globe.

You can never touch the horizon, but without it we wouldn't look forward.

Well, thank you Frank. It’s been nice having this frank talk with you. I hope all of us have taken something from it. Goodnight America. And sweet dreams.

End-claimer: I’m being frank here when I say quite frankly my name’s not actually Frank.

As fresh college graduates we stand on the line between childhood and adulthood. And somehow, becoming adults means we give up creativity and play, and take up the art of proper fun. Unfortunately, proper fun is usually non-participatory. For example with eating out, at least people get to chat. Watching a movie we are just all passive. That passiveness and non-activity has to blow up somewhere. Drinking parties are now the adult definition of unrestrained wild fun.

"What will you give in exchange for your diploma?" "My childhood." "Good. You may proceed. NEXT. What will you give in exchange for your diploma?" "4 years of hard work, sweat and tears." "That's not good enough. Everyone gives at least that much. Remove your cap and exit right."

Of course, what I’ve said is not completely true. A lot of older people are having great times with their friends. “Restrained” drinking parties can be fun and safe. And there are non-passive group stuff people do. Basketball, sports, bowling, going to concerts and sports games (kind of passive still), shopping and multi-player video games. But some of these activities are expensive. Some of them are gender dependent. Some of them only appeal to certain people (a good thing if your friend-circle has mutual interests). And some of them just aren’t good enough (sports pumps the blood and they’re fun, but not deeply social or relational).

Somehow in the moment I can never think of stuff we can do together. Adult thinking has trimmed away many possibilities to a few prim and proper ones. Think back as a kid. Nothing was out of question. You took life to its wild and unexplored sides. You were creative.

Make some food: Not everyone is chef, but it’s fun to pretend. Perfect chance for guys to show they can be delicate and effeminate (in a good way). Also, bbqs (cheaper than eating out + outside time). Also, parties where everybody brings something.
Explore some place: Yes we probably all dwell in the suburban complex, but don’t lose hope. Take a walk in the untamed forest area behind those houses, go check out an exotic indian grocery store, or just walk around a place you’ve never been.
Verbal games: Also, deep icebreakers, truth or dare, jeopardy with friends as the categories. Good board games / card games (taboo, cranium, mafia, scattergories (perhaps(?))).
Something stupid: Onion eating contest, strangest costume using household clothes and items, who can climb the tallest tree without falling, make a stupid video…
Rain, snow, outside games: Everything is better in the rain: water balloons, 10 gallon hats, just chilling… Hunter tag (one person is “it” and hides in a park or section of the city while everybody else searches).
Story telling, talking: Given a theme or image, everyone comes up with a sentence or three that will be pieced together into one story. Deep discussion, being fun, creative conversation, inventing dances, and singing too.
Adventure and purpose: Do something. Go on a journey. Climb a mountain or accomplish something. Change something. Help people. Explore the universe. Learn something. Be community together.

The curse of the writer is hypocrisy: he will criticize, suggest, and speak without actually involving himself. So let me step down from the pedestal of ideal ideas and take my own words to my own life. As we age, life doesn’t get old. We do.

That’s why I didn’t publish anything for a long time. Now let’s hope I can finish this one before he comes back for after-supper appetizers.

After bumming for a while on the wordless couch I thought the best way to spring back and instantly hurdle over the writing block is to address the most [in]famous question “WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?”

Actually, there’s something wrong with that question. And I’m not talking about phrasing the question to subtly direct and contain the answer. No, the problem is ALL CAPS. It’s hard to answer a question when you’re intimidated. So let’s try again.

“What is the meaning of life?”

Good. Now there’s another problem. This time, yes, the phrasing of the question assumes:
1. There is a meaning to begin with.
2. The meaning can be contained in one answer.
3. Rules out the possibility of multiple mutually-non-exclusive meanings happening in different contexts.
4. Implies there should be an answer.
5. That the questions can be answered.

Let us try again: “Given our existence and our nature to question the origins and meaning behind that existence, it would greatly satisfy my curiosity if you could offer a response, however disjointed, that deals with my complex inquiry. A definitive, confidant, encompassing explanation is not the object. Please address my humble promptings with liberty and out-of-the-box-creativity.”

This is actually a picture of a cloud. The colors have been flipped. Sky is blue->yellow, cloud is white->purple/black.

Well, ok, we didn’t have to go that far. I’m not trying to get people to speak differently, just to keep in mind that there’s more to a “simple question” than greets the eye. But nonetheless this is what I think:

It’s more important to be concerned with HOW we live this life than WHAT this life is about. And the good thing is that deep inside, we all know how to live this life:
~fully, carefree, happily, to have fun, to be with friends and in community, to make a family, to pursue intellectual and artistic realms, to make the world better, music, dance, eating, sleeping, adventure, recognizing the goodness and inscrutableness of God, laughter, other people, and all things with a dash of love

But “halt!” you say. “That’s easier said than done. The world is imperfect. It’s unfair. Some people are born ugly. Some are born poor. Some are born ignorant/unsmart. There’s pain. There’s grief. There’s oppression. There’s doubt.”

That’s true. But that’s something I know life is: Life is a struggle. It’s a fight. But it’s beautiful because it’s broken and we’re fighting for it. Another thing I know about life is that it’s short. Our woes are temporary. Life is just a piece in the bigger picture.

‘Are you implying there’s an afterlife?’

Kind of. But we don’t really even need to it figure out exactly. Maybe it’s a surprise. Maybe it’s a test. Maybe it’s april fools. Maybe it’s a play. Maybe it’s a good vs evil story. It’s a beautiful mystery and unanswered question that is another part of this life. As people we should take it all in and live. Live in a way respectful to God and humanity: playful, happy, philosophical, purposeful, and good.

‘The readers are intrigued, and would like some concrete elaboration. Care to indulge us?’

Well… LOOK BEHIND YOU the cyberdog is BACK!!! I’d love to stay but i’ve got tO publish wat i have before he eats it . *click*

Hmm I think Coca Cola made this image.

With Christmas comes materialism, deforestation, shiny packaging, relationship tensions… Can it really be? What if Santa Claus is actually the advocate of the economic cycle? Beckoning us to consume so production will also grow. While modern technology brings a handful of sorrows with it, hi-technology is not necessarily bad. The problem is everything is created on such a grand scale. Plus, Santa does seem to have some allegiance with coca cola.

BUT I JUST WANT CHILDREN TO BE HAPPY

That’s what the mother said before she fed him chocolate syrup and fried burgers for dinner.

I DON’T GIVE BAD CHILDREN PRESENTS

And you define good and bad by whether they cry and obey their parents? That’s a passable, but slightly misguided criterion. Maybe you just spoil good children and eventually everyone becomes bad.

YOU WILL RUIN THE HOPES AND DREAMS OF MILLIONS OF CHILDREN

I think the tooth fairy already did that. Children should not base their morality on material things. Besides, at least Thanksgiving emphasizes family.

ROBIN HOOD AND I BOTH GIVE TO THE POOR

Maybe you started out generous to the needy, but eventually the whole concept got corrupted.

THE REINDEER NEED EXERCISE

And we need a good space exploration program. Rudolph Prober VI, mush!

DON’T YOU BELIEVE IN MY JOLLINESS? HO HO HO!

Ah… I wish we could be friends. I don’t deny that you’re a likable person. But what you’re doing is wrong. I feel I should tell you that.

YOU CLAIM TO KNOW THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS?

Do you? I’m not clear on the origins, but it’s a long stretch from Birth of Christ to what it is now.

THE NORTH POLE IS MELTING. DON’T YOU FEEL PITY FOR ME?

It’s melting because of our unstoppable quest for energy. And a lot of this energy goes to sustaining the modern lifestyle.

….
phew, he left. The big guy’s actually pretty good at rhetoric. I almost lost my argument several times.

Haha to be honest, I don’t think Santa Claus is evil. He’s a cultural product after all. But the more disturbing question is this: is a healthy economy actually unhealthy for the Earth and our lives? Are recessions actually good things? So what do we do? We need jobs, but these jobs contribute to increasing production and consumption. It’s a vicious cycle, and now maybe even powerful corporates are pawns. Therein may lie the real evil.

I don’t have the answers, but I can still live my life. If Thanksgiving and Christmas is about family, happiness, gratefulness, friends, relaxing, meaning and questions about God, and just having fun, I’m up for it.