what’s the value proposition of play? how will it change my…

if play had any value, wouldn’t we be playing instead of working? work pays the bills, puts food on the table, provides roof over your head and medical insurance for your sick days. what does play do?

play has no extrinsic value to extol, yet the epitome of excellence is only reserved for those who play. the best in the game are just playing with their craft having established expertise. the little child is just playing by default. neither is ‘using’ play

this thread on play does not intend to provide value in a structured thread with bullet points and numbered lists. it’s a morning rant over coffee on man’s obsession with extracting value from all that is. look at the Gulf of Mexico, for eg.

are we addicted to sucking the marrow out of everything that life has to offer - how much do we actually need to survive, to be comfortable, to thrive? how much is just avarice. so i’m making a case for why do we work so much, not why do we play so less!

value hunting is the new gold rush. we focus time, energy & attention on something we don’t have instead of rejoicing with what we already have. how can you explore the present moment in all its richness before seeking to exploit the future with it’s infinite possibilities?

you can train a puppy to roll over, play dead, fetch your newspaper and shake your hand. the value of owning a well trained show dog or even just a well behaved home dog is understandable. but what’s the value of being rushed by a pack of puppies like this?

we spend our lives defining objects & relationships on the basis of tangible value. how much effort do we put in exploring the intangibles of our lives? the things that even in the minutest degree bring incalculable value to our lives

to overcome my midlife mojo slump, i have a choice of riding a 200hp Ducati down the freeway or sharing a skateboard with a bunch of kids in a skatepark. can i compare the exhilaration of extreme speed to the thrill of shared laughter & spills aplenty?

how can i quantify the value of play without dependence on the outcome it offers? if i’m obsessed more with the outcome than the process, is it even play anymore? when can work feel like play & play feel like work?

if you want to know the value proposition of play, you might as well question that of prayer, of meditation, of drugs, of sex, of combat, of everything that endangers & excites the mind, body & soul

which isn’t to say that you shouldn’t. on the contrary, question every action, every thought & analyse whether you’re driven by fun or fear. let’s play with the tangibles first so, i ask you what is the value proposition of work in your life?

what percentage of our lives must be devoted to the tangibles & what percentage should be towards intangibles? this ratio will vary with age, the phase of life that we are in & our individual ambitions and goals

i’m personally obsessed & 100% invested in exploring the intangibles of play in my life, having secured my basic necessities of survival. likewise what’s your need for play & how far are you willing to go to dig out your personal fountain of youth? ⛲️

https://twitter.com/ricvolpe/status/1412323280896339969

totally 💯 enthusiasm is most needed in the pits of despair and that can happen effortlessly if we wire ourselves to enjoy failure as much as success