As we grow and learn about responsibility and darkness in the world, we often lose the ability to play at life, at love, and to take the kinds of risks that children take for fun every day. It’s an interesting paradox, because as our world gets freer and more prosperous, more of the jobs available to us – indeed the jobs that are most exciting and profitable – require the ability to play as well as the ability to work diligently.

Losing the ability to play is one of the more tragic things that can happen to a person. It’s at the root of a lot of the unhappiness in the world I’ve seen, and (from personal observation) it comes in play heavily during quarter-life and midlife crises.

The TED video below talks about the evolving state of play with regards to play, learning, economic innovation, and human flourishing. It’s worth the 18 minutes. Trust me 🙂