Play

I have been thinking, a lot, about the nature of play. I have been thinking that free play and free choice have all but vanished not only in the lives of children but in the lives of all of us.

"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation." Plato

The American obsessions of success as defined by academic achievement and financial earnings have turned childhood into a revolving door of obligation with no true return. The climate of litigation and fear that permeates our culture has squelched true creativity and all but eliminated risk from activities.

As usual, Europe is way ahead of the curve in noticing this trend and doing something about it. It is slightly ridiculous that there now need to be companies that consult about play, but at least someone is thinking about it. Click around on this site: PLAYLINK, expecially the photo exhibition. Many of the articles are thought provoking , my creative juices are certainly flowing.

"Play is equal to formal education in terms of its fundamental role in enabling children and young people to engage positively with the complexities of the world around them."
PLAYLINK Play Policy

Today we organized a group to run amok in a fantastic park. In other words, we went out and played! We ran, screamed, jumped, hid and ended the day with Capture the Flag.

It is fun to play, it is important to play, it is necessary to play. I think ths is what I was meant to fight for--so much to think about.