By Mark A. Taylor
“The brain in its relaxed state is more creative, makes more nuanced connections and is ripe for eureka moments.”
In other words, according to author Carl Honoré, boredom can be good, especially for children. That”s one of many golden points in Time magazine”s November 30 cover feature, “The Case Against Over-Parenting,” by Nancy Gibbs.
Honoré, who wrote Under Pressure: Rescuing Our Children from the Culture of Hyper-Parenting, says boredom gives children “space to think deeply, invent their own game, create their own distraction.” That usually takes the form of play, the kind of play not stimulated by video games or computers, but that requires””allows!””children to create their own diversion, negotiate roles with their peers, and solve problems.
Although the article is about children, it raises issues for adults too.
Dr. Stuart Brown, a psychiatrist who founded the National Institute for Play, is one of the experts quoted. He wrote about a phenomenon noted among managers at Caltech”s Jet Propulsion Laboratory: “The younger engineers lacked problem-solving skills, though they had top grades and test scores.” Brown said the older engineers “had more play experience as kids””they”d taken apart clocks, built stereos, made models.” So now, according to the Time article, the laboratory includes questions about play history when interviewing prospective engineers.
And Brown asserts that play is as crucial as any other factor in producing “learning and memory and well-being.”
His Web site, nifplay.org, promotes play for people of all ages””not only at home, but also at work:
“Playful ways of work lead to more creative, adaptable workers and teams,” he says, and quotes researcher Marian Diamond, who describes how “”˜enriched” (read playful) environments powerfully shape the cerebral cortex””the area of the brain where the highest cognitive processing takes place.”
The Web site says play improves rapport as well as productivity: “Playful communications and interactions, when nourished, produce a climate for easy connection and deepening, more rewarding relationship.”
I remember Ben Merold”s advice for ministers and elders: “You must spend time together socially, outside any kind of business meeting for your team to function well.”
And I think of the suspicion or confusion or fear that too often characterizes the relationships among those on large church staffs. Could it be that some unstructured play””or at least a playful atmosphere at work””would help them trust each other and work together better?
It”s worth considering. The writer of Ecclesiastes said there”s a time for everything, and his list includes laughing, dancing, embracing, and loving. Those sound like play to me, and they sound pretty appealing too.
Author: Christian Standard
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