Just ask our friends: At any given moment over the past years, Polly and I proudly spout off all manner of ridiculous, grandiose thoughts, observations and statements about the nature and future of Society.
It's a slightly embarrassing fact.
‘Anyone who takes himself too seriously always runs the risk of looking ridiculous; anyone who can consistently laugh at himself does not.’
In light of this famous line from Oscar Wilde, it would behoove us to allow ourselves to look a bit ridiculous now and then, wouldn't it?
‘There are a thousand forms of subversion; all of them are interesting, but few, in my opinion, equal the convenience and immediacy of the cream pie.’ -- Noel Godin, social-philosopher / guerilla-artist, creator of The International Patisserie Brigade.
Honestly, sometimes I don’t know how our friends put up with us. (Surely, these 'profound pronouncements' of ours would warrant the occasional pie in the face!)
Okay, I think I know why … As the community ‘Class Clowns’, we make them laugh. Certainly, our penchant for being ridiculous defuses the ‘pompous factor’ associated with our work as ‘Social Scientists' … because we actually DO embrace Ridiculousness as part of our personal ethos.
In the realm of archetypes, the Fool holds a very special place: He goes where others fear to tread (if only because he doesn't know any better), often blundering upon hidden or forgotten treasures and truths. Indeed, it was The Fool who introduced me to the whole world of PLAY. And believe it or not, this little word encapsulates everything upon which we have built our Grand Empire of Fun and Celebration. Yes, play is the (THE or A?) eco-friendly fuel that ignites our Beauty Engine (he expounds, whilst twirling his curly mustache …)
Seventeen years ago, I signed up as a volunteer actor at the Black Point Renaissance Faire and quickly took to making a fool of myself begging for desserts and ale in the dusty streets of a real, live (virtual) Elizabethan Village. Paying customers rewarded my antics handsomely with treats and I was afforded the freedom to play with people in whole new ways. This 'job' allowed me to step into a clarified reality where everything slowed down, interactions were heightened and the most mundane things suddenly took on profound meanings.
I quickly brought my cap, bells and colorful fool’s motley to the stuffy banquet halls of Silicon Valley's Corporate America, amusing myself and hordes of semi-autistic yuppies by producing hot rolls and strings of sausages from out my poofy pants. Beyond discovering that I could actually get paid to play, most importantly, The Fool presented a mirror to myself, inviting me to regard my foibles, strengths and passions with a bemused eye and a loving, if somewhat detached, grin. The boundaries between play and work, the commonplace and the sublime, the sacred and the profane, began to blur.
I spent years, literally, pondering: if ‘The play's the thing’ … then why aren’t we all playing more often? I started to see all efforts and outcomes, follies and victories, as equally important ingredients of the feast of life, integral condiments for spicing up the grand banquet of reality.
Anthony Judge, some obscure essayist guy, writes: ‘The Court Jester offers new perspectives and helps people to look at their daily work and every day reality in new ways. Here, the court jester is concerned with the quality of communities and the well-being of all members, independent of their positions.’
My personal Patron Saint, The Fool, had given me a special perspective on the nature of Social Interaction, which helped to open the doors onto my life as a Social Scientist in the years to come.
My love of play also brought me to the world of Puppetry. I spent time abroad studying, performing and immersing myself in the rich traditions of European street fairs and Puppet Festivals. I met many amazing performers during this time, artists who instilled in me a respect for tradition and technique. They shared openly with me their belief in theater as a tool for facilitating cultural transformation. For many years, I performed as a children’s puppeteer. This took me on countless journeys of discovery and innocence, into worlds where things are whatever we dream them to be, where magic words bring flowers to life and every action has special meaning and purpose.
I am grateful to the many thousands of children I have performed for over the years who have helped me stay open to the possibilities presented by play. Maintaining a partial state of ‘arrested development’ has been critical in my ability to stay light-hearted and keep from careening off my path.
‘To be playful is not to be trivial or frivolous, or to act as though nothing of consequence will happen. On the contrary, when we are playful with each other we relate as free persons, and the relationship is open to surprise; everything that happens is of consequence. To be playful is to allow for possibility whatever the cost to oneself’ -- James Carse, Finite and Infinite Games
As we grow older, Polly and I genuinely feel younger and thus more connected to our shared sense of playfulness. As community builders, we enjoy seeing others discover the value of play because it continues to be one of the most valuable tools in our community builders’ bag of tricks. Integrating a playful approach into every aspect of community and injecting fun into otherwise boring or mundane tasks, getting people onboard and keeping them onboard, letting people choose what is fun for them ... these are important highlights in our work.
'Play helps our brains make new associations, identify new solutions to old stuck patterns, see things in a new way ... harnessing the power of play in many aspects of our daily lives …understanding our identities, our relationships, how to create and maintain our communities ...’ -- James Carse, Finite and Infinite Games
As your fellow Social Scientist, I offer the following for consideration-
FUN and CREATIVE is the new SUSTAINABILITY .
…………………..
PLAY bestows upon us The Power of Permission -- the permission to be ridiculous, to imagine, and thus recreate the world through the lens of wonder, magic and joy.
What a grand freedom it is to laugh at yourself, not to care what others think, to be joyful and really laugh till it hurts ... and therein discover that there truly is a Science to Celebration.
So what are you waiting for, friends? Jump aboard the Ship of Fools, the merry throng awaits!
