Play With Conviction

People say children have short attention spans. But that's not quite right. I have watched them play the same imaginary game for hours a day. When I directed Camp Iwalewa, every day we dedicated several hours to unstructured play time. The children would build cities from sticks and rocks, create races of invisible peoples and tell elaborate stories that borrowed characters from tv shows and comic books.

Children have incredible attenten spans. They just get bored with the adult world. Now that I think of it, most adults get pretty bored with the adult world, too! We just have more practice keeping our butts in chairs. But given the chance, wouldn't you love the opportunity to put in a couple of hours of daily play? I mean, if you could get paid and not get into trouble, wouldn't you enjoy hanging out with your peers, playing games in your favorite places??? I would!

So why don't you make it your business to play more? I mean, is there anything that makes it absolutley impossible for you to incorporate a playful approach to your life, your work abd your spiritual development? Orunmila himself is known for being playful and wise, as expressed in the song that says, "Erere o! Erere o! Ere ni baba wa se. Ko ma ja!" It means Play, play, play! Play is what our father engages in. He does not fight!" Living the medicine includes bluring the line between work and play.