Page 1 of 1

Is Play the Secret to Transformation?

Posted: January 11th, 2025, 5:13 am
by Sushan
This topic is about the January 2025 Philosophy Book of the Month, The Riddle of Alchemy by Paul Kiritsis

AI Prompt : A group of small children playing interactively
AI Prompt : A group of small children playing interactively
freepik__the-style-is-candid-image-photography-with-natural__8095.jpeg (86.89 KiB) Viewed 722 times

Many people reject play as a juvenile form of satisfaction, a joy that is lost as the "seriousness" of adulthood sets in. On the inside, however, play is a powerful transformative agent. It's a place where people may be creative, explore their personalities, and test their possibilities without worrying about failing.

Philosophers like Friedrich Schiller emphasised the value of play in personal autonomy, contending that our "Spieltrieb" (play drive) harmonises our sensory and intellectual selves. Carl Jung understood that bringing the unconscious into the aware world required imagination and symbolic investigation.

Play's development across time shows how transformative it can be: Play in childhood is spontaneous and unplanned. During adolescence, one begins to explore roles and relationships. External acceptance often serves to suppress authenticity and establish rigid identities. As an adult, play changes to more cerebral or artistic endeavours, yet it is frequently dropped in favour of seriousness.

Could we live more genuinely as adults if we rekindle our passion for play? Is Play the Secret to Transformation?