In a broken, hurting world where people are fighting for justice, you might think, “Who am I to have fun today?" Who am I to play while the world is on fire and people are dying?”
Aliveness asks, who are you not to?
Researchers who study play have found that only highly intelligent animals play. In fact, play is how we learn best. The creativity, boundary-pushing, and aimlessness of play allow us to discover like nothing else.
When the world is this broken and this hurt, who are we not to expand our capacity to create something new? We will need to imagine and create entirely new systems of liberation to replace the current systems of oppression we are dismantling.
Revolution is an inherently creative process.
When we try to create from the paradigm of oppression, we try to do it right on the first try. We try to create through rigidity, plans, and strategy. But these are the antithesis of creativity. Creativity is boldly dancing into the unknown, open to discovering something completely new. Bob Ross, or any other artist, will tell you that “Happy little accidents” are doorways, not tragedies. Mistakes are not part of the creative process, they are the creative process.
The gift of play is accidents that become innovations.
Augusto Boal, inspired by the work of Paulo Freire, created Theater of the Oppressed (TO) a liberation practice using theater to fight oppression. Boal believed that “Theater is a weapon for liberation.” His work demonstrated the power of play to solve real-world problems. When Boal became a vereador (a city councilman) in Rio De Janeiro, he developed Legislative Theater as a tool to give voters a more active role, sharing power with the government. Legislative Theater provided a clear and inclusive way for voters to act out problems, try possible solutions, and bring the best solutions to local government. During his political career, 13 laws were created through Legislative Theater. We can learn to leverage play for innovation.
Plus, play is f---ing fun!
Play is one of the liberatory practices that nourish Aliveness. Our aliveness becomes dry and brittle through our practice of oppression. Of the 18 Liberatory Practices of Liberated Being, rest, pleasure, play, and celebration are the practices that water the dry, thirsty kindling we have become. When we get too dry, one little spark can set us ablaze. Play moistens us, increasing our resilience to the destructive power of fires like hatred and hopelessness.
At a time when it feels like conflicts are escalating and humanity is clamoring for justice, people may attack or malign us for choosing to play. “Why aren’t you angry and fighting with us?!” they may demand.
To all of you, who could ask me this question I say to you: I am fighting Oppression with Liberation. What better revenge against hatred than love? What better revenge against toxic adulthood than childhood? What better revenge against the seriousness of a warring mindset than the hopeful dreaminess of play?
There will come a moment when the dreamers will be needed…
I think dreamers are needed now. Someone needs to build systems of liberation to replace the systems of oppression we are dismantling.
And I promise you, it will not be the fighters who create them. It will be the dreamers, creators, and players; those who have built the capacity to take bold and playful risks in the unknown. Those who can take action to create a world they have never experienced, while not knowing how. Fighters have strategies. Creatives have guts. It does not feel safe to abandon the shores of what you know in search of what you could find.
It takes courage to play.
Anyone who has attempted to create something new knows what I mean. Pixar built a business out of creativity and even inspired the book, Creativity, Inc., about overcoming the inevitable fear of the unknown we confront each time we engage with the creative process. The dance with the unknown can be terrifying, but the way the unknown becomes known is through the creativity of engaging with what does not yet exist.
We cannot birth a liberatory world using the rigidity and seriousness of oppression. We cannot do it. It will take creative, playful boldness to birth the paradigm of liberation; the boldness of those who dare to play in a hurting world.
Just like Clowns without Borders, comedians who transform trauma into laughter, or black musicians who transmute the trauma of racism into the freedom of jazz, I will bring joy into this hurting world, and I will not apologize for it. If you want to fight seriousness with seriousness, or drama with drama, be my guest.
But wouldn’t you rather transform what you dislike, rather than add to it?
If so, then play today! If this feels confusing, start by daydreaming. Brainstorming is a playful process to generate an abundance of ideas. Many will be outlandish and impractical, but brainstorming helps us let go of rigidity and think outside the box by saying, “No idea is a bad idea.” With an abundance of ideas, you’ll find at least one that will work.
So brainstorm. Ask yourself, If I was seven years old, how would I respond to this experience of oppression? If I were feeling really silly or really cheeky, how would I respond? If there were no consequences, and I could respond in a hilarious and dramatic way, how would I respond? Brainstorm! If an impractical idea makes you smile, savor the smile. Then, use your discernment, and give one a try!
And remember, it’s play, so it’s more fun with friends…
Photo credit Photo by Vicko Mozara on Unsplash