Culture

Play has intrinsic value, it is joy, freedom, imagination and creativity. Playing can also be seen as timeless, it does not care about age categories and it is NOT "a preparation for adulthood". Stop playing, and you are basically dead, but if you continue, you are alive!


The secret of the game

One can easily get the impression that the play takes place on the outside, that it is concrete and tangible. In fact, the events of the game largely take place in an inner world, in an invisible reality. "Well, you're cycling today," says the father to his daughter. "Nah", replies the girl, "it's my horse, you see". The table, chairs, blanket and pillows are not just "a bunch of scraps in a corner", it is a full-rigged ship. The situation is dangerous, several pirate ships have been seen in the waters!

Imagination can absolutely be innovative, but it means, at least initially in life, a feedback to our experiences. But how does it go together, someone might wonder, surely a child hasn't had time to gain so much experience in life? This is the mystery of imagination, a certainty that we are timeless beings not limited to a certain period of life. Man is not a blank slate, we have a history and in childhood its flame shines brightest.
 

Being an adult

What is an adult? In the reference book it should probably say: "Petrified person who has turned off joy and stopped living." Now it generally doesn't say that, but rather: "A person who has the ability to solve a problem and who is an adult in his task." But this definition probably does not quite measure up, because children often have the ability to solve problems and they can also handle difficult tasks, if they want to or have to. We need to expand our image of what an adult is.

Adulthood cannot be unambiguously related to age either, because even the children know that they have to take responsibility. For example, the game is full of responsibility ingredients. The rules are clear, whoever is playing "Cowboys and Indians" must fall over and "die" if, undoubtedly and at a short distance, he is shot by the opponent. Becoming an adult is more about realizing that sometimes you have to do boring things (for the good of everyone) like work, get food and clean.
 

Combining play and responsibility

The mistake many adults make is thinking they have to stop playing. They imagine, or are told, that the less time they spend playing, the better people they become. An example of the insane notion is found in the New Testament where Paul says: "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought as a child, and I understood as a child. But since I became a man, I have put away childishness." Well, that's actually your problem, Paulus!

Instead, let's reverse the reasoning. Anyone who wants to become whole as a person needs to find their way back to play and reconnect with the child within. It is entirely possible to combine play and responsibility, you take responsibility when necessary, not around the clock and in all situations. Adults need to play, but play also needs to develop, no one needs to do the same things as when they were children. It is important to find new channels for your game, that is the task and the challenge.

 

Imagination and development

Why is play, imagination and free thinking so important even in adulthood? Anyone who does not take turns and try new paths, new ways of interpreting existence, inevitably ends up in stagnation. The brain, which is extremely dynamic, stops creating new cells and branches if it is not constantly stimulated. Imagination means venturing into unknown waters, but with the unknown also comes development. As we evolve, we become more than what we were, we have pushed beyond our limits of existence.

What is more important, to "preserve the traditions" or to try something new for the first time? Traditions are fine as long as we actively think about what they mean, as a reminder of something in the past. But those who sleepwalk through traditions for the sake of it have lost their flexibility. Dare to renew the ceremonies so that they better reflect the spirit of the times. In Sweden, we do the dance; 'sma grodorna' (little frogs) at Midsummer, which is just plain silly and meaningless. It's really time to establish a new or revived tradition, one that actually makes some sense.

'Krumelur pills'

Unlike play, Krumelur pills are an extremely serious thing, one should not take the matter too lightly. Swedish Children's book Author Astrid Lindgren invented the pills and now they are here to stay. Do they work? Yes, I have taken one myself, possibly two, with appurtenant rhyme and all. So how do you get hold of the magic pills if you want to make sure you don't become a 'dry' adult?  We know they look just like yellow peas, but it's only when we call them Krumelur pills that they become just that, and gain their power.

But if you are already an adult, is there any point in eating them? Of course you can do that, because it's not so much about being old in actual years. The main thing is to stay ever young and renew your mind. Yes, then the only thing left to do is go and get pills! Find a completely dark place and bring some like-minded people with you. The rhyme must be included and all the words must be in the right place. Here is a highly free translation from swedish:

 "Nice little Krumelur pill, don't make me old 'gainst my will!"

But, by all means, don't say 'against' instead of 'gainst, it could go terribly wrong. It might accelerate the aging process and make you older than 'Treebeard the Ent!'



 

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