Page 121 - Reflections_over_Akamas

To play...

... is in our nature. I was a child once; I know. Science knows too. Think of
eating and sleeping. Play is just as important for our development. Physically,
emotionally, mentally. For humans and many animals, play makes learning
fun, engaging, interesting. Unfortunately, we treat it as something trivial, a
mere pastime. No wonder we offer it as a treat, a kind of trade-off for doing
well in more ‘respectable’ aspects of life. That’s why mainstream ideology
considers play to be the opposite of work. Once we enter the education
system, play takes a back seat.

You ask me what my favourite lesson is,
I gaze at the schoolyard. I sigh!
You ask me what I’d like to be when I grow up,
My eyes light up: An astronaut! I snap. You smirk.
You tell me to assert myself and find my way,

I dare to say that playing is my way,
Can I go and play now?

What I had instinctively known all these years became clear: everything
I needed to know I learned through play. It’s true! It’s OK to fall, as long
as you get up again. You’re the sole hero of your own story. Yes, yes,
yes! You keep pushing forward, that’s action. You’re stuck, but you keep
on fighting; that’s suspense. You stop. You give up; that’s the end. Of this
episode. And the beginning of another. Playing has taught me my most

valuable skills. I’ve been building teams since the age of six, from tug-of-
war for children (kids) to the EuroAsia Interconnector for a few hundred
adults (kids).

The ancient Greeks turned their respect for play into an institution.
The Olympic Games at Olympia encouraged healthy competition.

They celebrated athletes who strived to play the game as a great sense
of connection between people. Sportsmanship (amilla in Greek) was
at the epicentre of the games; athletes competed not for glory but for
the development of their sport. Promoting the spirit of sport was at
the core, as any child would invite another to join in the fun.

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