Quote out of context:

In any game (I use “game” generically to mean any encounter where there is a notion of winning or losing) between a sane person and an insane person, the insane one is bound to win. What do I mean by sane? One who believes his/her perceptions–the five senses¹ and any numerous meta-senses. Sanity (sapience) is doomed to destruction, either through conversion to insanity or through physical [obliteration].

The secret to a meaningful life seems to be to take a futile stand. Entropy always wins, but it matters a lot as to how we deal with it. Though sanity is precarious (and the individuality esconced in such [sapience] is precious) one must cling to it and defend it.

One strategy is simply to minimize the damage, to keep your insane opponent at bay as long as possible. Some might brand this as cowardice. I think of it as the frictionless path, the path of least resistance. They cannot hurt you if you don’t let them grab you. Use your reason. The insane one’s actions can be predicted to an etent, same as a thunderstorm or a hurricane, imprecisely but good enough for your purposes. A mastery of T’ai Chi Ch’uan might be helpful. Turn the fury upon itself. Expend little energy, for you are a dying thing. Be slippery as a fish, but know when the game ends.

The other course is to fight fire with fire. Consider your own insanity (No one is perfectly sane. [I think that’s just the price of sapience.]) There are a million varieties and I imagine few people being skilled in too many of its forms. Understand your particular form of insanity and exploit it to its fullest. Be predictably unpredictable or unpredictably predictable. (Always think in metas when you use your insanity.) Hold on to your sanity, learn to switch between the two. (Remember that sanity is like an airtank to a deep sea diver or an astronaut: necessary, but it will eventually run out.) Never remove your mouthpiece or unscrew your helmet.

Do not worry too much about the end, the end will come whether you worry or not, and thinking about it will only sap your strength. Now is what matters.