{"id":35674,"date":"2018-11-06T08:00:40","date_gmt":"2018-11-06T16:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/classicalguitarshed.foureyes.com\/?p=35674"},"modified":"2020-10-22T04:00:46","modified_gmt":"2020-10-22T11:00:46","slug":"tq-heraclitus-child-at-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/tq-heraclitus-child-at-play\/","title":{"rendered":"Heraclitus on Meaningful Play"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tuesday Quotes<\/a> are short explorations of music, life, and the daily endeavor of practicing classical guitar. Enjoy!<\/p>\n

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\u201cMan is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

Heraclitus (535\u2013475 BC) <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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One of the luxuries of childhood is the lack of logistics. Grown-ups take care of everything, so we can focus only on that right in front of us.<\/p>\n

When in a state of pure play, like that of a child, we lead with curiosity<\/a>. We do what we do for sake of doing it. We formulate little questions like, \u201cWhat if\u2026?\u201d and \u201cWhat happens when I \u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

And through these explorations, we learn about the world around us.<\/p>\n

As adults, we have more on our minds. We hold a thousand little (and not so little) responsibilities. We manage projects, have relationships, and work within the confines of time of resources.<\/p>\n

And while these are unavoidable, they\u2019re not always as meaningful and fulfilling as we\u2019d prefer. For that, we may need to step outside of our roles and responsibilities, at least for a time. We may need to release our lofty aspirations and personal stories in order to fully engage in serious play.<\/p>\n

When we step outside our everyday lives, status concerns and mental constructs, we can be as children at play: present, engrossed, curious, willing to try and fail and try again.<\/p>\n

When Heraclitus said we\u2019re \u201cmost nearly ourselves\u201d when we achieve the seriousness of a child at play, he may have been speaking of these qualities.<\/p>\n

And while we can show up and hope this seriousness happens, we can also engineer it. We can aim for the qualities of attention and mindset that will help us get there.<\/p>\n

To set up the conditions whereby we enter states of child-like play, we can:<\/p>\n