This is a topic I've thought about for many years. As a culture, we do a lot to discourage anything in adults that even resembles creativity and imagination. We view them as useless, childish traits that are embarrassing for an adult to possess. I disagree. I believe that imagination is an essential problem-solving, critical thinking skill that the best and brightest minds have always and should always possess.
What's worse is that we do so much to shelter our kids from hard work, always citing, "They're kids, let them be kids!" And for some reason, we expect that these kids who are "all play" will magically turn the corner into adults who are "all work." I blame this for the fact that a lot of people don't turn the corner, and instead careen off into major problems when they hit legal adulthood, and then spend the rest of their lives playing catch-up.
With all of this in mind, I believe the world would be very much improved in adults played more. Action figures, video games, LEGOs, even freeze tag and dress-up. (God help me if I'm ever too old to play with Nerf blasters.) We'd be more balanced people, we'd keep our imaginations working, and we could make adulthood worth all the damn work.
Find time to play. No, make time to play. Do something "childish," and see if you don't feel reinvigorated. Eat candy for dinner, just because you can. Buy the action figure you secretly think looks friggin' awesome. Read a comic book. Make racecar noises while you drive somewhere. (My finacée and I have an awesome Mythbusters drinking game that involves a spinning rack of test tubes and an elaborate but easy-to-learn set of rules, if you're interested)
Keep the wonder, keep the imagination. These are not childish things. They are necessary. How can the world ever get any better if there's no one left who can imagine it that way?
What's worse is that we do so much to shelter our kids from hard work, always citing, "They're kids, let them be kids!" And for some reason, we expect that these kids who are "all play" will magically turn the corner into adults who are "all work." I blame this for the fact that a lot of people don't turn the corner, and instead careen off into major problems when they hit legal adulthood, and then spend the rest of their lives playing catch-up.
With all of this in mind, I believe the world would be very much improved in adults played more. Action figures, video games, LEGOs, even freeze tag and dress-up. (God help me if I'm ever too old to play with Nerf blasters.) We'd be more balanced people, we'd keep our imaginations working, and we could make adulthood worth all the damn work.
Find time to play. No, make time to play. Do something "childish," and see if you don't feel reinvigorated. Eat candy for dinner, just because you can. Buy the action figure you secretly think looks friggin' awesome. Read a comic book. Make racecar noises while you drive somewhere. (My finacée and I have an awesome Mythbusters drinking game that involves a spinning rack of test tubes and an elaborate but easy-to-learn set of rules, if you're interested)
Keep the wonder, keep the imagination. These are not childish things. They are necessary. How can the world ever get any better if there's no one left who can imagine it that way?
