Editor:
Our mutual task in today's world is to find ways to renew the wonder of play among our children without succumbing to the hazards of technology, direct supervision and highly-scheduled lives.
It is as the late educational reformer, A. S. Neil said, "One of the true evils of civilization is that no child has had enough time for play."
While the values of play are real and profound, they are also subtle and hard for us to grasp and appreciate, cast as we are in the post-industrial world in which we live. Much of what could return our children and youth to days filled with exploration, discovery and freedom is a united resolve on the part of parents, teachers and bureaucrats to return childhood to its rightful owners.
So much is lost if we continue the current social engineering of youth and forget the wisdom of so many great philosophers who have extolled the inherent values of play and nature in the lives of young people.
We must do better if we are to have a peaceful and joyful world and this starts with our young ones. While this problem seems overwhelming, we would do well to heed the words of the late Margaret Mead, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
Gary Pennington
Roberts Creek
