We've Lost Something
Reciprocity
(noun) the practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefit.
The internet is killing us. And so here I am launching a Substack on the internet to write about play. Really? Fruitless frivolity at a time such as this? And yet…
Political polarization is at an all-time high.
Adult child estrangement is at an all-time high. Time magazine even calls it an epidemic.
Disagree? Disconnect. Contradict? Cancel. We’re more “connected” than any humans in history and simultaneously, more alone.
Ever notice how so many play rituals are reciprocal? Imitation, turn-taking, sharing, cooperative play, house, catch, tag, hide ‘n’ seek, peek-a-boo. Most of us built social bonds through reciprocal play by the age of 2 or 3. At at time when our broader social bonds are fast-eroding, it seems to me that we need to find a way to play again. After all, the extreme LEFT and RIGHT have one thing in common: no sense of humor. Estrangement makes us very strange indeed.
I won’t suggest a game of peek-a-boo with that brother or sister who voted differently than you, but some sophisticated fun might be worth pursuing. Reciprocity is the highest form of play. It’s a volley, a give and take, a back and forth, a dance. Take it away and the music stops. I don’t want to live in that kind of world.
I’m here to exchange ideas for mutual benefit, so I hope this comes across more invitation than instruction. When you go to write your first Substack post, you get a pre-filled post to edit. Mine read in part “There is no one true way to go about building a Substack. This is your playground, experiment with it. If you’re having fun, your readers will too.”
I sure hope so.
Life is short. Seize the Play.