“Play is the beginning of knowledge.” —Plato

Jana, my dear philosopher, you surprised me by quoting Plato so freely.  I remember of Plato merely that he said something important, but have dropped the critical details someplace behind me.  Alongside Plato, in my mind, is a blank wall.

 Well, in truth, my mind is mostly open space, rather like one of those pastures you see where too many horses have over-grazed and left bare ground that surrenders clouds of dust whenever the wind blows.  Not much going on there.  The horses all hunkered in the fence corner with their eyes shut.

Though not opposed to philosophers, I suspect I am simple-minded enough that I don’t need one of them confusing me by informing me that my doing something nice for another person is the result of some kind of “ism,” such as objectivism or moral absolutism, which, by the way, requires six-hundred pages of breathless explanation.

Sometimes I feel good by doing something nice for somebody else.  That’s all. 

I must tell you about last night.  As I floated in the warm water below the nightsky—the way I do each evening in my hot tub—the sparkling firmament descended closer to me than ever.  I swear to you, I reached out of the rising steam with both of my arms and swept right through the stars with my open fingers.  And the stars felt like diamonds and sapphires as I brushed through them.  They twinkled brighter after I touched them.

New word: starplay. 

Any kind of play is good, right?

Jana, did Plato say anything about the stars?  If so, please tell me what he said.  I have forgotten.

--Mitchell Hegman