|
In my other two posts, I was a little bitter about two issues that I think are important, now let me strike a slighly different tone.
One thing is noiceable and striking about the siblings pictured in the film. They all seemed like smart well balanced young people. And I think anyone would agree, they are.
The lens of class makes us see Jeffrey as a failure, but I think Jeffrey has gotten something not many people "get".
He doesn't have much in the way of wealth so what he does have, he has to protect. He was shown in your film to go to great lengths to keep his soul and to a great extent, his childlike creativity, As that's something that society does its best to beat out of people, to society's great detriment, and he's managed to largely keep his, he has a niche there that he might be able to exploit someday in an economic sense.
In these hard economic times, I think that America is starting to realize that the magical play state has huge economic value.
But we persist, perhaps out of habit, to beat the creativity out of people, especially poor people. But everybody needs play. One could make a good argument that poor people, espcially need o think outside of the box, because the jobs tat have supported poor people since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution are going away. With nothing on the horizon o replace them, we are in serious, serious trouble. What are 2/3 of us going to DO to eat? Nobody knows.
Its ironic that almost all of the top companies of the last 20 years were started by people who extoll the value of directed play.
Only the smartest animals play, Smart people play. The jobs of the future will involve play. All the dumb jobs that don't, will be done by machines, not people.
So, if we want jobs, we better learn how to play! And learn while playing. Its only by ENJOYING our work, that we will get GOOD ENOUGH AT IT, to justify our employment. Money, and the stick of starvation if we dont keep working harder and harder for that dollar, just isn't a strong enough motivator to make creative learning the norm. Stress also ruins our ability to learn. Thats why TV shows are a lot less violent now. Scientists discovered that when they watch hyperviolent TV, people forget the commercials. The same thing goes for learning, whether its at a job or in a school.
Most of the great discoveries in history emerged out of accidents. Out of play.
So lets not be so quick to condemn those who place a higher value on their freedom to be themselves than others. Its not so cut and dry whether that approach is wrong, or right..
|
