Real Transformation Springs from 'Playfulness,' Not Duty. Ten Years On: Where Zen Meets Tech.
- P-Lab. Admin
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
In 2015, the UN adopted a massive agenda: "Transforming Our World." The specific goals within it are what we now know as the SDGs.
At that moment, the world was handed a map containing the "What" (17 Goals) and the "How" (detailed targets and indicators) to achieve them.
It is a magnificent philosophy.
However, there was a "critical gap" lying right in the middle.
The UN documents articulate "why the world needs this." But they didn't quite bridge the gap to "why I should personally engage in this transformation." The "Personal Why" was missing.
The state of the world is a reflection of the state of each individual.
We are convinced of this truth.
Only when our inner state (our being) transforms, does the outer world truly transform. And simultaneously, the state of the world deeply influences our individual state of being. The two resonate together, inseparable like reflections in a mirror.
No matter how sophisticated the plan or the "How," true transformation cannot occur if this "Being" is left behind.
Could we help people internalise this "Why"—not through knowledge, but through experience? This question birthed the simulation approach.
It has been, coincidentally, exactly 10 years since this game was born in 2016.
I joined this project just as it was preparing to go global. Later, during the pandemic, I leveraged my background as a "techie" and immersed myself in developing the online version. When the lockdowns lifted, many thought the role of the online version had finished. But we decided to "carry on."
Face-to-face OR Online? The world often forces a binary choice. We choose "AND." We established P-Lab to inherit this mission, convinced that the evolution of learning lies in mastering both environments.
Why do we remain so committed to "experience" as we head into the next decade? It is because we feel that, in this digital age, the Zen concept of "Furyu Monji" (不立文字) is becoming critically important.
"Furyu Monji" literally means "not standing on words or letters." In Zen, it teaches that deep truth cannot be transmitted through text alone. You can read a menu a thousand times, but you will never know the taste until you eat the meal. Similarly, you cannot understand the essence of the world—or yourself—just by reading the manual. It must be lived.
When you capture the world as a "personal matter," you become, for the first time, truly "Shinken" (真剣, earnestly serious).
That earnestness opens a door to possibilities outside yourself that you couldn't see before.
But here lies a crucial turning point. Even if you take ownership, if it feels like something you "Must" do, it becomes a burden. It won't last.
But what if you could reframe that challenge as a "Possibility"?
The scenery before your eyes changes completely. The challenge that was a weight on your shoulders transforms into "Playfulness."
"This could be interesting."
"Maybe we can create a world like this."
This shift in mindset is, as the agenda says, the very first step in "Transforming Our World."
Just as the state of Satori (Zen enlightenment) cannot be found in text, this sensation cannot be taught with words. It exists only within your own experience.
Possible World.
Standing on 10 years of history, this is a place for you to meet the possibilities that lie beyond duty, to become an agent of change, and—most importantly—to enjoy the process.
The fusion of the Japanese spirit (Kokoro) and technology. We plan to share more of this exploration in our upcoming book series.
But first, come and experience the world beyond words.
Any world is up to our mindset and action. Possible World.
