Mimetic Monday: August 23, 2021

Play, Fiction, Hidden Forces

People and things worthy and unworthy of imitation.

Positive Mimesis 

Play is one of the most important things we can do as humans. Play is an end in itself. The purpose of play is play. It's not a trampoline to a better result, to anything else. And that's a rarity in today's world.

We play because play is good and desirable on its own.

I'm including it in this Mimetic Monday because play is strongly mimetic in nature. Have you ever seen two dogs playing in the dog park? One dog initiates the play (typically, with a play bow—she stretches her front legs out and brings her chest low to the ground as if she's about to lie down, rear sticking up in the air, ready to move in any direction), and the other dog can hardly contain himself. He imitates the play bow, and then they engage in a dance of playful desire.

I had a special experience of mimetic play while I was getting ready for a silent retreat in the hills outside of Italy with a bunch of my friends back in 2015. The silent part of the …