Life 101 Lecture - Play

In nature we can see how young animals pounce, slash, trample, crash into, swipe, hit, barrel roll (yeah... i just wanted a chance to write Barrel Roll), collide, cut, tear, ravage, and destroy. The intent is not malicious, because all creatures understand in their youth what it means to play. Play is a form of training, a way to learn how to become better at what you do. People spar to learn how to be better fighters, even if they have no intentions to actually do so. In the case of human beings, play is far deeper than learning to do one thing. It has mental, psycological, emotional, and physical repercussions which all must be dealth with accordingly. We have the choice to play the games we like to play. We do not have to learn how to fight one another for dominince unless we chose to do so, and even then the game culd be something as body breaking as gladitorial combast or as mentally provative as chess. I however has none of these skills. My perference for fighting is Akido, the martial art for avoiding, throwing, and wooden stick intimidation. As for mental games, I finish a sudoku puzzle in an hour and adore a rousing match of memory. But in all honesty, I like tennis and baseball (and sometimes tennis baseball). But what exactly do I get from these? What is the point in engaging in a good natured competition? Definition and growth. It is through play that individuals learn where they are lacking in skill or knowledge and have the chance to learn the strngths and weaknesses of others. Through play we learn, we grow, we become better.

Let me guess, you allready knew all that right? Oh not so my dear ones. For I have seen a nation of people who has forgotten how to learn. It is not due to the lack of insitutuions available, it is soley caused by people's inability to play. Sure somewhere in the bible it says "when I became a man I put childish things away." but no where in the bible does it say "when I grew up I lost my sense of wonder, my joy to learn, and my need to play."*

As children we are bombarded with all kinds of things and people and experiences that mold our concious understanding of the world around us. But as children the whole experiment is a game, the process of learning people and things is fun and exciting. but as we age and slow down into a life that seems to play as follows: 6 am wake up, 7 am coffee, 8 am out the door, 9 am the office, 1 pm hope to see that cute person from HR, 3 pm you tube, 5 pm back to the interstate, 6 pm home - clean up animal/roomate/own/hulk smash mess, 7 pm dinner, 8 pm tv, 9 pm wine, midnight bed.

There is little time in these days to do much more than the tasks at hand. Rarely do we find any one so available to play that we have many chances to enjoy ourselves. And when the opportunities do arise, something or someone is always choosing wether or not we are allowed to keep doing it. Unfortunately, entertaining interactivity is needed the whole time we are alive. Without it we become down-heartened, lonely, misunderstood, and in some cases depressed. but without some aid to keep us wanting to get together, it is easy to drift apart. In some situations people use a specific thing to bring one another together. In some cases its something as innocent as games, movies, dining, exercise, or sharing a mutual interest. Other times people must turn to substance abuse to bring one another out and about. Most of the time I can't seem to want to get together with anyone unless there is something in it for me. rarely do I spend an evening sitting gazing at the sky with someone at my side, mostly due to the simple fact that no one I know likes that kind of thing, unless they are inebriated. Very few people like to talk very much about the state of politics, but have no problems complaining about one another. When our days are filled with activities we don't like, we must find an excuse to try to enjoy one another. Every thing that has to get done, if it has been chosen to do or not, becomes a task that must be completed. Because of this I found myself falling out of favor with my friends, them falling out of favor with me, and my losing some people and things I thought were important. I was too exhausted to let myself hold onto it.

But then, for some reason, I got an Idea. After one of many bumps in the road I got some water balloons together, and out we went, 4 people and a dog. True within 10 minutes we were done with the whole affair, but we were soaked, laughing, and ready to do something else as a group. We spent the rest of the evening really engaged in one another's company, and when we separated for the night we were all in good spirits.

I cannot stress the importance of play in our daily lives. we all need lighthearted interaction in order to relieve stress that is accumulated from demands of the modern world. If you spend 10 or more hours doing something that someone else has told you to do, everyday begins to look like servitude. And then when you have to provide for someone else, all the chores that come along with it seems like duties. Fun has a way of avoiding work, unless you actively bring fun back to it. Fun is best had in groups or pairs, but easiest to achieve on your own. So the question arises, how do we have fun?

My answer is Play. Make a game of dusting, vacuuming, laundry, dishes. If you have pets take them out for an extended play date on the weekend, or have a daily game. once a week have a game night, board or otherwise. take everyday duties and make them something else. On your run to the copier, pretend you are a wicked thief and have secured the kings secret documents, and you are going to duplicate them for your own mischievous purposes. If you wanna act it out, go ahead (i recommend using discretion though). use your imagination to make things more than they are, and relish in the boundlessness of your reality within the confines of your imagination. Bring one another together to play as well. If someone asks what you are doing, let them in on the secret. invite them into your game, and watch it grow. However, do not let it hamper your ability to do what your tasks are. A successful game should hype up your efficiency. Also it should allow you to look at the work that must be done as a less menial task, and more of an opportunity to learn, or at least escape.

Play can hone your mental abilities, as well as your physical ones, depending on what you do. Not only does Play teach us our limitations, but it also helps us figure out a way to over come those limitations. It also helps us learn one another. While we are all people, we strive for connections to one another and the world around us. Play is the most direct way to learn to connect with others as well as yourself. It will boost your ego, diffuse frustrations, and set you on the path to become a strong, directed, and intelligent member of a community, even if that community consists of you and one other individual. Play inspires communication on a friendly, but sometimes competitive level. As long as you don't get too fired up about it, it should always be a fun experience. Because that is what play is all about, fun.

*I find the bible more helpful if you look for what it doesn't say.

Homework
Play.
EX: wrestle with your Boy or Girlfriend, Play a board game with others, If you got a group and a penchant for acting try a role playing adventure game, Get a wii, or get outside and have a good old fashioned leg race, a push and shove competition, a swinging tournament. Or whatever you think would be the most fun.