Moloch and Pyrrhic Victories

Pyrrhic victories are when you win but your losses are so extreme that you can’t continue to fight. In other words, win the battle and lose the war.

Moloch is the god of “negative sum games.” In other words, optimizing an abstract concept to the detriment of quality.

I think of the saying, “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes,” when I think of Moloch. But the best outcome for Moloch is the ultimate Pyrrhic victory. Since we’re all constrained by time, if we waste time following Moloch, we’re losing.