Everything Tagged with 'freedom'
‘Play as Something Close to the Divine’
Columnist Andrew Sullivan also recently decided to weigh in on Melvin Konner’s new book, entitled “The Evolution of Childhood” – which discusses the evolutionary nature and need for play. Sullivan’s response to it is almost equally enchanting and poetic (as it’s so short I’ve included it in full):
Well, yes, maybe [play is a rooted function of evolution]. But once one leaves the reductionism of evolutionary biology, can we not see play as also, well, play? And play is defined by its uselessness, its freedom, its ability to resist productivity. It is a form of ultimate freedom - in my view, the freest human beings can be. Because a game has no known winner in advance, if it has any winner at all. It is about being together and engaging together without an ulterior purpose.
That’s why I see play as something close to the divine. That’s why I believe Jesus loved children. Because, in play, they had found a way to be with each other without any other over-arching purpose.
Sullivan’s understanding and opinion of play reminds me very much of Howard Chudacoff, who lays forth a similar philosophy in his brilliant book “Children at Play: An American History”.