Playing Games - An Essential Part of Life's Work

How to Play the Game of Life

Michael K. Miller
A TIME FOR PLAYING GAMES
"Life is too important to be taken seriously," according to Oscar Wilde. In the context of the frenetic pace and stressful living of the 21st century, we can say life is too important to be taken seriously all the time. There needs to be a time for play, a time to play games.

It is important - even necessary, to take a break. It is essential to disengage to a venue, a safe place of self, where the mind can rest a little, the spirit run free, and just let life be fun. Through these fun times, we can have renewal, regeneration - and better prepare ourselves to reengage life in the 21st Century fast lane.

HOW TO PLAY GAMES -
WHERE, WHEN, WHICH GAMES
How to play games is any way you want, any way that will let you loosen up, cut free from the structure, the schedule, the grind of every day life, and relax. Relax, renew, and be better prepared to get back in the race.

Where to play games and when to play games and, even, which games to play, are not as important as to just play. Playing games is a key element in the successful life.

ALL WORK AND NO PLAY WILL DULL YOU
"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." According to Wikipedia, this concept dates to an Egyptian proverb more than 4,000 years old.

The "modern" expression of the concept is from James Howell's "Proverbs in English, Italian, French and Spanish (1659) . Evolutions of further lines to the proverb are even more telling today: "All play and no work makes Jack a mere toy" and "All work and no play makes Jack - and plenty of it."

These evolutions assume dimensions of grave prophesy for the 21st Century man and woman. Not only is there a bitter irony in human play being relegated a "mere toy" - a dismissive artifact of childhood, but the creation of money (jack) supersedes the creation and demonstration of Life initiated in childhood.

ALL WORK AND NO PLAY WILL KILL YOU
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely Players; They have their Exits and their Entrances, And one man [or woman] in...time plays many parts."
[William Shakespeare,
As You Like It, Act II, Scene 7]

In time, through Time, the 21st Century man or woman tries vainly to return to the goodness and freedom of childhood through play. But it is too late.

He or she has waited too long. And only the last act of the life worthlessly spent remains to be acted out - and then the curtain falls and that character's part in Life has ended.

SUPPRESSING AND GIVING AWAY THE JOYS
OF PLAY AND PLAYING GAMES

The precious things of childhood and childhood play cannot be taken from you. But too many people today either hide them away or give them away mistakenly thinking they will never need or use them again.

The joys of childhood, the essence of the free spirit of youth, are too often hidden away as we become adults. Play and playing games allow us to rediscover ourselves and life through those forgotten joys.

Play and playing games empower us to recognize the simple joy of what we have given away in our mad rush into an adult world and to reclaim that which we have given away.

Adult play is not an oxymoron.™Renew. Regenerate. Reengage. ©

BEGIN NOW TO RECLAIM AND EMPOWER
Work on you hand-eye coordination with thisFlashCurveballl game from Paragon Digital Media. ( See:http://dagobah.biz/flash/CurveBall.swf )

Try more work on hand-eye coordination, plus spatial orientation, with this Shadow Factory game fromHallpasss. ( See: http://hallpass.com/media/shadowfactory.html )

More left-brained? Try this Scrabble game from The Man in Blue. ( See: http://www.themaninblue.com/experiment/SSCrabble/ )

Now leave your computer. Go, take a walk, and think about the games you would like to play again or new games you would like to try.

Come back, back home, and vow to play. For remember: Play and playing games is a key element in the successful life.
_____

Adult play is not an oxymoron is a trademark of Millennium Suites, LLC.

All Rights Reserved. Copyright © Michael K. Miller of Millennium Suites, LLC 2008

Published by Michael K. Miller

Human, male, Christian, American || Paladin, intrapreneur, entrepreneur || Writer || Father || Retrograde Subject Matter Expert (RSME) on Life, Living, and Love  View profile

  • Life is too important to be taken seriously all the time.
  • Play and playing games are critical to Life.
  • Adult play is not an oxymoron.
Play and playing games is conducive to a sound body, sharp mind, and happy soul.

13 Comments

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  • Kay Ray6/20/2008

    I still enjoy games. I always have a game of online Scrabble going, and I enjoy playing bocce ball. I'm a kid at heart. Nice job as usual.

  • Genie Walker5/29/2008

    I agree - I just played cards with my sister the other night.

  • A.M. Morgan5/21/2008

    We have to have fun right?

  • Tony Vega5/1/2008

    Enjoyable read, Michael. You always manage to provide thought provoking pieces some of which can lead us to a more enjoyable place, this is no exception. Excellent production.

  • Tyler Mills4/27/2008

    I agree, simple as that.

  • summerpiaza4/25/2008

    Playing scrabble and coloring with crayons is my sometimes needed "play" time. It is definitely regenerating and can quickly renew focus. Thank you for sharing one of your "secrets". I loved this article.

  • cathiesbloggs4/24/2008

    Wow !!!....I really enjoyed this....so very creative !!!.....awsome !!!!

  • Pam Gaulin4/24/2008

    Fun read!

  • Jody Morse4/24/2008

    Very good advice!!!

  • Sheryl Young4/24/2008

    Funny - this made me think of jack Nicholson in "The Shining" before I even got to that line!

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