“Jack and Elise jumping off swings” by wsilver ©
What exactly is play?
Play, according to Dutch Historian and cultural theorist, Johan Huizing is a ” A free activity standing quite consciously outside ‘ordinary’ life as being ‘not serious’, but at the same time absorbing the player intensively and utterly”. OK it’s a mouthful but what Huizinga was trying to say is that play allows us to become totally absorbed in things that are not really important to our everyday life. Not only is the objective to have fun, but our self-absorption in something frivolous gives us the opportunityto unleash creativity and innovation and to engage our sense of discovery.
What’s interesting is that as adults, we take our “games” seriously which is in direct contrast to what Huizinga suggests. As adults, we play to compete because we want to win. For whatever reason, victory becomes the goal. Sometimes the reason is money. Other times, it’s and fame; and face it, the public admires and tries to emulate the winners. Can you say celebrity shoe endorsements? One of the ways we move our sense of play from outside of our ordinary life right smack into the middle of it is in the arena of professional sports. Think about it. We pay athletes tremendous amounts of money simply to watch them play.
Reclaim your sense of fun
I suggest that as adults, we reawaken the 5 year old inside and open ourselves to discovery through genuine play. I’m talking about the rolling in the mud, puddle jumping, and butterfly chasing activities that allowed our imagination to turn a box into a car as a kid. Do the things that could later becomes the catalyst for the next revolutionary engineering marvel. Play revitalizes us. It opens us to the simple, uncomplicated task of just being. When we do, we are more receptive to the world around us and by extension more receptive to growth and creativity. In short, we lose that overwhelming sense that if we don’t get it right things will come crashing down around us. And even if that does happens, play gives us the chance to see it as an opportunity instead of a setback. So here’s my challenge to you – go out and chase butterflies. You may be surprised at what you discover.
Ref: How play and games transform the culture of work: An interview with ross smith. (2012). American Journal of Play, 5(1), 1-21.