Work, Rest, Play & Pray
The reason that I personally wanted to write this article series was to think about the purpose of play and pray in the context of the compass. At first, I didn’t know why they were included. When you look at the symbol for the series you’ll see that play and pray are off to the side. Unlike work and rest, they are not pushing you forward or pulling you back. Play and pray are the practice of work and rest. When young children are playing we say that is their work. When we pray we practice rest and giving up the things we have no control over. Based on your perception, either could be considered active or passive. They have purpose and they don’t. They have meaning and power and they don’t.
Play - Big
James Carse wrote Finite and Infinite Games and the theme easily could be applied to our whole life. Some parts of life have clear rules and endpoints. Some parts of our lives are infinite in nature and more mysterious. Our whole life is a big game. There are rules based on societal values. The quicker you learn them, the less fouls, penalties, or issues you may have. Jordan Peterson extrapolates on the concept of rules in his book 12 Rules for Life and Beyond Order. Religious texts are full of rules and often serve as the rule book in order to live a life of quality. I suggest reading a couple. Traveling to different areas of the world with different cultures will make you quickly learn that the rules are different in different areas of the world.
Does how we play the game of life matter or is the only thing that matters the outcome? How much luck is involved, how much is the result of determinism? These are big questions that I have strong convictions about, but I don’t think a definitive rational answer will ever be provided. You can take a nihilistic approach where none of this stuff matters or you can be of the mindset that it all matters.
Will you choose to play the game, sit on the sidelines, work to modify the rules, make a Facebook post when it’s socially convenient, or leave it up to fate?
Play - Small
On a personal level, I went through several years in my life where I stopped playing and laughing. I had multiple deployments where I was directly involved with significant humanitarian crises. I was deployed to a public hospital in the South Bronx of New York City in March of 2020. I was deployed to the Middle East in 2021 during the Afghan pull-out. Death and despair were common and I lost touch with everyday life. My dog and my young sons were the medicine that I needed, and I thank God for putting them in my life. I was able to play again because of their innocence. They have not been tainted by the harsh realities of existence. Their emotions are pure. When my 2 year old son can’t make waffles, it’s as if his whole world is ending, and it’s hilarious. When he calls his butt his poop house, it’s hilarious. When his whole world is full of joy at spotting airplanes, fire trucks, and swinging it’s refreshing for my soul. I had stopped paying attention to the little things. I stopped looking at marks on trees and the clouds. I stopped noticing the rain and the rising of the sun. I stopped noticing the miracles that happen every day. I stopped singing, dancing and pretending. My children remind me to notice all of these things again. To laugh, smile, cry, and appreciate the little things. The wisdom of a child was what I needed to learn to play again. Thank God for dogs and kids.
Prayer
Prayer is active and passive. The current trend is to be present. To silence the mind and notice. To do a body scan and feel. To get out of your head. This is a passive form of prayer where you just are. In our American society where we never get out of our heads, we are always anxious for what is to come and we lament on the past, getting out of our head is reasonable advice.
Active prayer is our thoughts and words. These thoughts can be blessings or curses, so practice your intention. Prayer is powerful, ask and you will receive. Words change our lives. Words and language connect us and separate us. Words allow us to see the world from another individual's perspective. Getting to see the world through the eyes of another is a blessing. Watch your words, watch your thoughts. Be honest, but be merciful.
Conclusion
There’s a push for balance in our lives. Work and rest may be antagonists, but I’m uncertain we cannot pray and play in all that we do. The world would benefit from being a little less serious. At the same time, how you practice is how you perform, so be intentional.
The conclusion of this series is that life is full of seasons of all four components - work, rest, play, and prayer. My opinion is that we should all work hard, rest hard, pray hard, and play hard. We should seek to become as elite in all of these categories as possible to maximize our time on this earth. My opinion is that American culture is full of elite workers, but we are generally poor in the other categories. You can improve in all of these categories with practice. Maybe this whole life is just a practice, or maybe we just need to intentionally practice for the few meaningful games we have in our life.
Work, Rest, Play & Pray
Ecclesiastes 3:1 - For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven
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