rhoze n' koan,
<i guess my answer would be - i would neither encourage
nor discourage such play.>
I grew up "fighting" Germans, Indians, and Japanese...then later the Russians....it was play. We took it very seriously using strategy deep the woods to take advantage of the enemy....and in the summer in the rows of corn trying to figure out where the enemy was by listening and figuring their position by the sun. We had rifles, pistols, and a hoge poge of uniforms and helmets our dad's had brought back from the war. But at the same time in the early evening, we'd watch Howdy Doody, Lone Ranger, The Nelsons, the William Bendix show, I Remember Mama, and Sid Caesar's Show of Shows......plus, I was so fortunate to have great parents as most of my friends did too. It was a vanilla middle class upbringing. Also, the time was filled with sports, baseball, hockey, and soccer (soccer was a point off the curve then for a U.S sport, but our town had lots of immigrants who formed teams through their clubs and I loved playing it).
After graduation I was drafted. In an infantry unit, it brought back all the same sensations....listening, being careful, thinking hard and reacting quickly......then....everything that happened beyond that I was totally unprepared for. When I got out, it took a year or so to get out of the tilt, but once I did learn how to keep everything balanced.... I attribute that to how I was brought up and consider myself lucky to be where I am today.
I hadn't thought about this until you and koan had your conversation....I guess that's what I love about this thread....it keeps your saw sharp.
Altair19 |
