We tend to think of work as work and play as play. We work during the week and we have some time to play on weekends.
In reality, the two are not, or don’t have to be, distinct from each other. In reality, we can flip between work and play within minutes.
For example, I experience moments of play at work, and moments of work at play.
Then, what do we mean by work? And what do we mean by play? I will simplify to say that I’m defining discipline as work and freedom as play.
One kind of play is humor. So when I am humorous, I am playing even though I’m working. When I’m working as a psychiatrist and the opportunity for humor arises, then I am playing!
At other times, when I’m “relaxing” and socializing with a friend or family member, being unable to say what I’m thinking or feeling because it might hurt that person, it can feel like work. At that point, I think like a well-trained psychiatrist (or a person who understands this principle—the impact of words on another person) to reframe my thoughts and words. The process is work!
Why do, as Henry David Thoreau said, “most men (he meant humans, of course) lead lives of quiet desperation? Because we won’t submit to the process required to obtain self-knowledge and awareness—the practice of which, in my opinion, involves the work of being humble and the play of being curious.
We choose a sport based on our acceptance of the kind of discipline or work that the particular activity requires, and the sense of play that we derive from this specific exercise.
Creativity involves both considerable discipline (work) and the ability to be free (play).
Any time a person creates, whether it be a painting, a novel, a musical composition or an artistic performance, they are working and playing simultaneously.
A concert pianist applies hours of discipline, but if they lack a sense of play, of pleasure and freedom, they can be a performer, but they can’t be a great one.
Conclusion: Noting how work and play can flip in a minute like a coin, can add to our daily pleasure.
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