What if We Were Here to Play?

From Celebration to Discord

Watching the nation’s legislators slug it out over the stimulus package in Washington D.C. the past week has been painful.  In the end they will cobble something together but it will not be a bill that will do what needs to be done to get Americans working again. Obama’s election and inauguration were one of the highest points of celebration this nation has ever seen. Now we have descended into fighting.  What is going on?

Lessons from My Own Life

So I step back and ask myself, “What’s this about?”  I only begin to get it when I  look at my own life.  I have been working incredibly hard at two jobs while I also write a blog about peace, the passion of my life, and try to nurture a business in the free hours I have left.  I notice that things in my life are breaking down: my car, my computer, my health. I’m working very hard and I’m not having any fun. I’m exhausted.  Hmm. . .

Playfulness Left Behind in Childhood

A good friend told me to lighten up. Good advice. I started thinking about peace and playfulness.  From the time I was a little girl I loved to play.  I danced around and loved being outside. I was wildly exuberant and expressive.  And like so many of us in life, I lost that. I buckled down and became a good girl, a good student, a hard worker. I followed the rules and did everything right. I colored inside the lines.  I forgot how to have fun. I never take vacations.

Burning Man Pictures Open Up a New World

This is unsustainable, both for me and the world.   What if we were all here to have fun and to play? Ever notice how animals love to frolic and play? From dolphins to bears and tiger cubs to your dog playing fetch, these creatures know what it’s about.  It’s the simple joy of being in a body.  I googled words like playful and silliness the other day and came across photos from the Burning Man festival. These pictures, entitled Adults at Play, rocked my world. They opened up a possibility of human beings being wildly playful and spontaneous.

The Possibility of a Playful Planet?

Having seen what’s available, I can no longer live like a drudge .  Life’s too short.  What if it’s possible to make a living having fun and doing only what you love-and engaging other people in that endeavor with you?  I’m up for that and anyone who wants to join me in creating a planet of joy-filled, happy, playful people, come join me!

The Old Financial Patterns and Solutions are Unworkable

What does this have to do with a failing economy and rancor in Washington D.C.?    I was unaware of these patterns in my life and it took events to wake me up to them.  Similarly, it took some harsh events to wake us up to the reality of our financial practices and now we have to change our unsustainable ways.  People in the corridors of power are trying desperately to cling to the old ways they used before (tax cuts). They will no longer work.

We Must Invent New Ways of Being in the World First

We have to invent radical new ways of being first.  What kind of lives do we want to lead in the twenty first century?  How do we want to live?  Only when we are clear about this will we be able to make clear choices about what actions to take.  If we don’t do that first—and soon–we’re in for a lot of fighting and a very bumpy ride for quite a while.

Questions of Inquiry:

1. Have you mastered the work/play dilemma? Tell us how.

2. Share your thoughts about the partisan fighting over the stimulus bill.

3. What ways of being would inspire a new financial system?

Have a comment? Please let us know what you think.