the decline of play

Discuss the application of the Dharma to situations of social, political, environmental and economic suffering and injustice.
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dreambow
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the decline of play

Post by dreambow »

"However, a recent paper (http://www.aeonmagazine.com/being-human ... t-of-play/) Peter Gray suggests that play has been in decline for a couple of generations. And he notes that since the 1960s (when playtime progressively gave way to homework and adult-directed sports) childhood mental disorders began increasing – to the level where anxiety and depression are now five to eight times greater among children than they were in the 1950s. Suicide rates for the age group fifteen to twenty-four has doubled; it has quadrupled amongst those under age fifteen. Also, when schooling fosters competition rather than cooperation, empathy declines and narcissistic self-interest grows. And if the overriding aim is to prepare children for life as exterior (= work, material resources), but not life as interior (empathy, full present awareness and balance), people learn what they’re supposed to do and have, but not how to be."

Ajahn Sucitto
Meggo
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Re: the decline of play

Post by Meggo »

jordan peterson about skateboarders

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SeeLion
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Re: the decline of play

Post by SeeLion »

For more than 50 years now, we in the United States have been gradually reducing children’s opportunities to play, and the same is true in many other countries. In his book Children at Play: An American History (2007), Howard Chudacoff refers to the first half of the 20th century as the ‘golden age’ of children’s free play. By about 1900, the need for child labour had declined, so children had a good deal of free time.
The analysis seems limited, by the fact that it seems to be mirroring 50 years of play to 50 years of play decline.

And that out of many thousands of years of history.

Also, it's not obvious to me that the decline in play is causing the issues that he mentions.

He could replace the words "decline of play" with decline of freedom or nature, or increase in pollution and technology - and write almost the same article.
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Johnny Dangerous
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Re: the decline of play

Post by Johnny Dangerous »

dreambow wrote:"However, a recent paper (http://www.aeonmagazine.com/being-human ... t-of-play/) Peter Gray suggests that play has been in decline for a couple of generations. And he notes that since the 1960s (when playtime progressively gave way to homework and adult-directed sports) childhood mental disorders began increasing – to the level where anxiety and depression are now five to eight times greater among children than they were in the 1950s. Suicide rates for the age group fifteen to twenty-four has doubled; it has quadrupled amongst those under age fifteen. Also, when schooling fosters competition rather than cooperation, empathy declines and narcissistic self-interest grows. And if the overriding aim is to prepare children for life as exterior (= work, material resources), but not life as interior (empathy, full present awareness and balance), people learn what they’re supposed to do and have, but not how to be."

Ajahn Sucitto
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Completely anecdotal but my experience as a parent has been that healthy kids = kids who are actually allowed to be kids, and get to play a lot. The sedentary lifestyles and isolated way people are living these days is bad on all out psyches, especially children.
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when afflicted by disease

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when sad

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when suffering occurs

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when you are scared

-Khunu Lama
dreambow
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Re: the decline of play

Post by dreambow »

I saw a doco awhile back where Chinese children packed into classrooms were given little time for play during recess. Mainly because of lack of space and the time that could be suitably used for cramming in more information. They then found that the children were not getting sufficient light which affected their eyesight... with a great many in primary school already wearing glasses. The authorities swung into action looking for a solution to the problem. After much thought they decided not to let the children play outdoors for longer periods as that would eat into their 'important' learning time.
Instead they have embarked on a plan to place glass ceilings on the classrooms so more light can penetrate the students eyes.
After the program I thought about the matter realizing that light coming through glass wouldn't give the children the full spectrum of light needed for healthy vision let alone healthy play time.
amanitamusc
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Re: the decline of play

Post by amanitamusc »

Time to play.
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Queequeg
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Re: the decline of play

Post by Queequeg »

Meggo wrote:skateboarders
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There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
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