Splash!
It’s time we went on an adventure under the sea! Do you see what I see? Can you spot the humble sea squirt with its green curliculies and orange form swaying about in the current?
Meet the Sea Squirt
The sea squirt belongs on evolution’s shelf of curiosities. In its juvenile form, it resembles a tadpole (much like what our ancestors would have looked like) preoccupied by two basic objectives. One, feed. Two, avoid becoming fish food. Eventually the juvenile sea squirt comes of age and implants itself on a rock where it will live out the rest of its days.
As an adult, gone are the days when the sea squirt had to dart about and explore the underwater world. Suddenly, life has just got real easy. Now it can sway merrily against the tide, safely anchored to its beloved rock, eating as much as it wants. Ad infinitum. Much like diners lifting plate after plate off a conveyor belt at a sushi buffet. Life is good.
Time passes and in a macabre twist of this terrible tale, the sea squirt devours its own brain and nervous systems since it no longer has use for them. Can you hear ringing? It sounds like an alarm to me.
Wonder me this
According to neuroscientist, Daniel Wolpert, the brain exists for one and one reason alone. Action. He goes on to surmise that action gives rise to all the “magic” we see around us. If this is true, and it makes perfect sense to me, play takes on even greater significance in our lives. Why? Because play is the catalyst that moves us to take action. And action results in magic. When was the last time you marveled at magic? Or have you been sitting on your rock for too long?
Playmaking 