Playing
together

Now we know that our differences are there so that we can know each other.

After all, if we were all the same

we would never be able to work out who was who.

And we get to know each other by doing things together,

sometimes working at something serious,

and other times just for fun,

playing together.

And humans play in all sorts of different ways,

speaking and listening and sharing words.

And sometimes those words are put into song,

when they share music, playing with instruments.

People play together in all sorts of different ways,

different people are suited to different things,

and like the instruments in an orchestra,

get them all to work together

and magic can happen.

So although high jumpers and hammer throwers are different shapes,

one is only better than the other for doing their thing,

neither is suited to do the other,

and both can be the best at what they do.

And people in a team will have different personalities.

Some people like to take charge

and some are happy to follow,

some will be bold and others cautious,

some brainy, some brave,

everyone has a place on the human team.

But of course,

not all teams are for competition,

sometimes it's just for sharing adventures,

admittedly at some point.

possibly involving a competition with a dragon in a dungeon

Writing and telling stories can also be a shared process.

Now stories on movies and TV may be written by teams,

but most writers do most of their writing on their own,

in the same way that humans find all sorts of different ways to play on their own,

different kinds of puzzles,

from crossword to jigsaw to computer,

problems which help to stretch the mind,

problems requiring struggle

before the satisfaction of finding a solution and ease.

Individual play can use focus on a voluntary problem

to clear the mind of prior thoughts

and make room for new answers to come in.

Personal work helps train an individual

to make them more helpful to those around them when they are needed,

and the time of most need is surely when there is need for self-defense,

for self-preservation.

And that human need has shaped its training into the ritualised combat of physical sports,

where the javelin and discus are not thrown at anybody,

and the martial arts may end up bloody and painful,

but they do try to stop short of killing each other

What makes sports play

is that they are voluntary

and non-lethal.

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