The importance of Play in our lives

     Play is an important aspect of our lives. Many of us enjoyed play as children. As adults, it is difficult to find such fun times. I like this photo of friends here at a Christmas party in my home. We were using my Czech puppets to play a game of make-believe. Our goal was simple: to laugh. And laugh we did! Play complements life at any age and is not concerned about benefits or profits. When it does; the fun can sometimes be lost. Play unites us. We learn to share. It promotes well-being.
   When we were younger; my father created home-made Chinese kites for us. We delighted in flying them when we were done. In the Caribbean where I grew up; our Carnival brought us together. So much creativity in the costumes, music, dance and calypso to admire! It was equally a time of fun. Tensions subsided; frustrations abated and barriers were broken down. It was and is a great safety valve for our peoples of diverse races. In play, we can learn how to share and to maintain a balanced co-existence. This is how it could be in an ideal world. We adults, nonetheless, always seem to spoil things in the end. According to psychologist Peter Gray from Boston University, selfish human actions indicate a society which has forgotten how to play. We emphasize too much competition that we forget the joy in games. Fewer opportunities to play can limit our human development.
   These puppets, like the wooden toys of Zagorje, Croatia, have contributed much to many people's enjoyment. I am sure we have our own examples. As we get older; we forget play. I remember a gentleman in Split, Croatia, reciting an old proverb in his native tongue: "Ne prestajemo se igrati zato sto starimo, nego starimo zato sto smo se prestali igrati." Translated: "We do not stop playing because we get old; rather we get old because we have stopped playing."
   The Christian Scriptures (Luke 18, 19) speak about adopting a disposition of a child. I think at the very core of play is a re-imagination of ourselves like children. Perhaps when we do go out and have fun; we may re-discover the significance of play in our lives.                                          (Don Ronaldo)