The greatest tragedy of adulthood is the lack of play. What I mean is, playing for the sole purpose of enjoyment and discovering new things about the world.
Adult animals for example, play a lot less than young animals. This is possibly because they don’t need to practice at catching preys or striking at foes anymore. They’ve acquired the skills needed, so they can reserve their energy for the more important tasks like hunting and finding food.
For humans, play would turn into recreations or sports, which is healthy but usually with the aim to gain something in return; such as losing weight, reclaiming mental health, offsetting work burnout, getting adrenaline buzz or enabling social mobility.
Nature has a way to make us feel complete as sentient beings.
Adults seldom play for the sake of playing, because of the stigma of being perceived as being indulgent or wasting precious time. Play is regarded as a luxury afforded by those who could free up time for it.
In the 21st century, anyone can have access to any type of games. There are thousands of amusing apps available on the internet. The downside is, if you spend too much time online, you could end up feeling lonelier than people who trek the wilderness alone.
The seaside folks around Pangkor Islands don’t seem lonely in the outdoors, even though they are on their own. I’m impressed by their concentration and ability to enjoy their solitary recreations.
Nature has a way to make us feel complete as sentient beings.
Main image: A swing made of recycled tyre at Pantai Pasir Bogak, Pangkor Island. Photo © Zarina Holmes.
After The Rain 