A question I received: Is playing the best way to develop?

My Answer: Yes, a game is the best way to develop. It is the foundation of progress in nature. We think of a game as something plain and simple. But, a game, in fact, is the most serious thing in the world.

When we stop playing, we stop developing. We evolve only through playing. When we play, we don’t realize what we are doing and as a result we expand our feelings and abilities. Later on, when we stop playing and start learning, we are only fulfilling the possibilities we have created with the help of games.

This is what turns a good game into the foundation of a human being. His gradual development from one level to another, in accordance with the law of “negation of negation,” and the ascent from a state of the lower one to that of the Upper One, is possible only through a game.

When playing, a person doesn’t realize what his next step will look like since he isn’t there yet, but he strives toward it, models it, and “tries it on” in various ways. This element is called “a game.” It is about uncertainty, unpredictability, intuitive attempts to figure out how, and acting like a child. This is what growth is about.

When we stop inquiring how and we begin to study what is already opened, prepared, and processed for us, this unique state of mind  (the inquiring “how?”) disappears, and we stop progressing. We simply fill our brain cells with information that stops our development. We turn into “nerds.” With respect to elevating to a new dimension and ascending to our next level, naturally, the only way to climb this ladder is by "playing a game.”

People are well aware of this. Here is an example: during my doctorate exams, one of the examiners asked me to describe the elements of game in the development of nature and human beings. They also asked me to answer this question from the perspective of Kabbalah. So I had to present the whole system to them. (They accepted it, but gave me a “B.” I got a “B” in my major, in Kabbalah!)  Why do I mention this here? It is just as an illustration of how commonplace the acceptance of play and gaming are today.

Related Material:
Laitman.com Post: A Game: Stepping Into The Unknown
Laitman.com Post: All Of Creation Is The Creator’s Game
Kabbalah Moments: "Game"

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