Some years ago when my kids were small we took them on a camping vacation. At the campground that first night right after dinner, we noticed a large group of kids gathering on the field behind the office. Kids of a variety of ages milled around and sorted themselves into two teams. They then proceeded to play kickball. My kids asked if they could play too, and ran to join in.
This continued the next night and it was obvious that most of the kids had not met before that week, and that some did not speak any English.
On the third night the parents and some of the other campers started bringing bowls of food and beverages to the field for impromptu potluck dinners. We would join in the game, hang and chat with each other, and play with the smaller kids who were to young to join in. This continued for the rest of the time we were there. It was a wonderful week of meeting new people, activity, and good food.
Looking back at that week, I wonder if and how that be translated into “real life”. How can we as a society start showing up and playing together? I’m still trying to figure that out, how to change a culture of compartmentalization and dis-integration? How to build something that happened organically once technology and distraction were not present?
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