Playing
together

You know

When human interests come together as play,

they can take on a myriad different forms of sharing understanding and expression,

ways of communicating on a subtle level.

Playing is not just the us and them the me and you of competitive games

it is a part of all human relationships.

Infants join in adult conversation by making sounds

echoing speech and watching how adults express emotions,

until they can act out situations in play

pretending to be grown ups.

By acting out the parts of others,

we draw closer to understanding them,

stretching imagination,

and using magical possibilities

as a lens for real life situations.

This way we can plan how to deal with difficulties,

imagining the best response,

some kind of rehearsal.

Play emotions explore real emotions,

and as infancy grows to adulthood,

play can be seen in theatre

TV and cinema,

through all the variety of recognisable characters,

archetypes for categorisation and understanding.

And that includes imagining what is evil.

We must recognise that Islam is for humankind,

and moral choice is a part of human nature,

and for the choice you must be offered good and bad,

and some are going to choose the bad.

Along with Islam comes the humankind that carry it.

There are those who enjoy causing harm to other people,

who are devoid of compassion,

amused by cruelty,

and lost in self-indulgence,

many of whom will also call themselves muslims.

So good and evil need to be explored,

and play gives us a safe space to do that,

but there are other ways to communicate shared emotions

that are non-verbal,

noises that we make together,

cheering, clapping hands,

perhaps sharing rhythm and syncopation,

and as when playing music, listening and joining in

harmonising sharing sympathetic vibrations

Or emotions can be expressed through movement,

gestures or facial expressions,

and the subtle and unconscious dance of body language.

All part of the song and dance of life,

the ongoing daily play that humans use

to explore the variety of difference to be found in those that surround them,

and work out who they are and want to be themselves.

They see their possibilities reflected back at them,

and choose the path they travel.

Of course for a muslim the important thing is to realise

that their Islam is central to their lives,

and find a way to function

not out of fear of what others might think or presuppose

but simply by showing who you are at your heart,

the muslim that you are

surrendered to your Liege.