by Matthew Rehrl MD | Philosophy, Play
About twice a month I buy a $5-$10 lottery ticket (usually Powerball or Mega-Millions). On a rational, financial basis I am aware this is not a sound financial decision. Over time, I am much more likely to lose money than to win it. So why do a buy them? For two...
by Matthew Rehrl MD | Philosophy, Play
I just read a great paper written by the philosopher Gavin Ardley and published in 1967: The Role of Play in the Philosophy of Plato. (Sorry, it’s behind a paywall.) In the paper he discusses how important play—as a sister to seriousness—is for several philosophers,...
by Matthew Rehrl MD | Creativity, Play
During a recent burst of playing, my cat Roo, now one-and-half years old, threw his Hello Kitty toy into the air, after which it unceremoniously landed in his water bowl. Hello Kitty playtime abruptly ended. Now, was this cat-throw a mistake? No, at least from Roo’s...
by Matthew Rehrl MD | Play, Writing, Writing Habits
As adults, we underestimate the value of play. It’s important to resist this bias. For example, one of the most valuable tools for a writer is editing (which happens to be one of the skills I most need to develop), so next to my keyboard I have Stet! Dreyer’s...
by Matthew Rehrl MD | Creativity, Play, Stress
During CoVid, I’m doing my best to create “joy bubbles.” (Here I am not talking about Deep Joy. That’s the purpose of life stuff. I don’t think you create that type of joy—a joy which is more of a way of living every day, nearly a discipline.) I am...
by Matthew Rehrl MD | Creativity, Play, Social Media, Twitter
Let me start here. We physicians don’t get a lot of points for play (and Play’s cousin – Creativity) within the practice of medicine. Moms don’t bring their 5 year old son in with severe strep throat to be placed on an antibiotic that hasn’t...
