As an organization, the SFE is familiar with stress-based bonding as we share an annual sense of urgency, danger, and competitive challenge in the N. Ontario wilderness.
But this weekend will be our first SFE reunion where candidates and cadre get together to chill out and play.
So, I expect several days of playing for the sake of play, the kind that isn’t particularly challenging and of low consequence may actually be an edge for some of us.
Initially I wanted to write this article on why play is important, how it encourages neuroplasticity etc etc but I kept feeling a sense of irony in scientifically proving its benefits as if play is just another biohacker’s tool.
It had me thinking… does the act of validating the function of play as progress actually diminish the function of play?
To understand this better, we can look at quantum physics.
And I get it. Using something as complex as quantum physics to explain something as simple as play seems a little ridiculous but hear me out.
In quantum physics, the concept of superposition explains that a particle can exist in multiple states at the same time.
It exists in these multiple states until a measurement is made. For whatever reason, this observation for measurement has the quantum packet “choosing” a single state.
When we engage in play, we enter a state where possibilities are limitless and creativity knows no bounds. Like a particle in superposition, play exists in a realm of pure potential, the imaginal, unbounded by the usual constraints of productivity, progress, or outcome.
It allows us to explore different roles, ideas, and emotions freely, without the pressure of achieving specific goals or measuring success.
When we play, we exist in many different states.
However, the moment we start to measure or evaluate play (i.e. looking at it as a means for neuroplasticity or even putting value on the score) we collapse this superposition.
We narrow the possibilities into a single outcome which is usually at the expense of spontaneity and the richness of the experience.
I think superposition gives us a useful metaphor for the value of play in our lives. It reminds us to resist the urge to measure or judge our playful experiences so we’re open to the multitude of possibilities and discoveries that might otherwise be overlooked.
This is a good practice in general if you’re one to constantly be improving as so many of us are.
If we start seeing everything as a means to an end, then we’re always postponing our fulfillment for “the end.”
Perhaps the true value of play lies not in what it can do for us, but in how it allows us to be.
Perhaps the major purpose of adult play is its purposelessness – the freedom it grants us to explore, laugh, and connect without the pressure of measurement.
It’s an activity that opens up space to be unencumbered by expectations, authentic, and a little weird. That, in itself, is a gift worth embracing.
That’s not to say we won’t engage in the most epic game of tug of war this weekend. The SFE will shake the mountains of Kananaskis. But what’s also true is we will be embracing the unpredictability and delight of the moment utilizing friendly competition as a means for nothing more than whatever comes up in the moment.
Cheers,
Jeff Depatie
Chief Course Architect, Special Forces Experience