Ever since I started this book project, I’ve somehow cut myself off from blogging. I don’t know why… I guess it felt like writing anything else would be wrong?
Ah, that’s why: I felt like taking time to write anything else would be a distraction and a waste.
I felt the same way about writing as I did about taking time off work: “It’s only worth it if it’s useful.”
Lies, damned lies!
I forgot my own rules.
I forgot to let myself play.
Today I finally remembered: play is where the best ideas come from.
The very uselessness of play is its greatest asset.
It is this freedom from design or commitment that allows chance to juxtapose things which would not otherwise have been arranged in this way, to construct a sequence of events which would not otherwise have been constructed. The apparent uselessness of play naturally discourages people from playing.
Vertical thinkers are ashamed to play, but the only shameful thing is the inability to play.1
P.S. Remember to Play
I don’t know how you feel about musicals, but this song always brings me back:
Play, play, remember and you will see
The world is so mysterious and wild
When you start to see it through the eyes of a child
Listen to “Play” from Finding Neverland.
References
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The Use of Lateral Thinking by Edward de Bono ↩