Reveling with the Winds

I remember awhile back discussing the topic of humor. This morning I'm going to address a related topic, but it's not quite the same. My screen name is derived from one of the most playful creatures on Earth. In fact, it's a species known to save drowning swimmers as well. I looked this up once. It is not because dolphins have any great love of humanity, but because they like to play with objects in the water!

When we grow older as humans, we are expected to engage in fun activities less and less. We leave behind our toys for more serious activities. At least, that's the way we like to pretend it is. The truth is in many ways our toys just change as we get older. (I know there are people at there who will turn this into something perverted. I am not talking about those kind of toys.)

Nor do we ever stop having fun. It's just likely to be more passive when as we grow older. Instead of pretending to be Barbie or Transformers (whatever is appropriate for you), will turn on the television or open a book and escape. I guess the purpose of play changes. We play as we are younger to learn. When we're older we play to escape the pressures of everyday life just for a little while. It's a needed thing. Sometimes it helps just to shout out the world for a bit and let our mind recover.

Militaries talk about morale. Often they encourage morale by promoting fun activities. With the pressures of military life I can see how it would be more important to soldiers and sailors than it would be to every other walk of life. Still, what is a low morale but a tiredness of the spirit? Play helps us avoid this.

I'm probably guilty of using escape too much to avoid real life, which is why I've tried to cut back on such activities and get out just a little bit more. I've not been terribly successful as old habits die hard and many online games can be addictive, which is why I've probably quit more than I'd care to mention. It's striking a balance that can be difficult for people like me, but a balance must be found.

There's a Mormon scripture that warns against excessive laughter and light mindedness. Knowing what I know now about Mormon history, I suspect this is because Joseph Smith and later Brigham Young didn't want people laughing at them. (The latter is more likely the culprit for this remaining in writing. There's a good reason why the Mormons don't quote him very often.) This is dead wrong. We need laughter and light mindedness from time to time to maintain our sanity.