Dogs, and cats, to a lesser degree ( so I am told) are the only animals on the planet capable of non- purposeful activity. Your pet iguana will not retrieve your tennis ball even one time- and certainly not 50 times in a row. All other animals live in Survival mode.
That hunger for and joy in play is one of the main reasons why we bond with dogs. Playing with a dog has been proven to lower blood pressure in their owners ( dare I say parents?)
I love the concept of personal best in athletic pursuit. 30 thousand runners enter the Boston Marathon each year. Almost none of them expect to win. Yet they run for the fun, the fellowship and the chance to better their own time from the prior year. That is human play combined with a level of competition that is healthy.
Loved reading your essay Jim. You continue to be my favorite analyst on the Internet.
Dogs, and cats, to a lesser degree ( so I am told) are the only animals on the planet capable of non- purposeful activity. Your pet iguana will not retrieve your tennis ball even one time- and certainly not 50 times in a row. All other animals live in Survival mode.
That hunger for and joy in play is one of the main reasons why we bond with dogs. Playing with a dog has been proven to lower blood pressure in their owners ( dare I say parents?)
I love the concept of personal best in athletic pursuit. 30 thousand runners enter the Boston Marathon each year. Almost none of them expect to win. Yet they run for the fun, the fellowship and the chance to better their own time from the prior year. That is human play combined with a level of competition that is healthy.
Loved reading your essay Jim. You continue to be my favorite analyst on the Internet.