In play and in earnest

The Coen brothers' A Serious Man is a film to which I return time and time again for its deep resources of wisdom and insight. The very title - A Serious Man - should be a question for all of us; are we serious - or are we just playing? Are we mucking around, having a good time - or getting on with it? 

Play is a useful teaching aid for children as they develop. We played, we learnt. But childhood comes to an end, and the things we played at now have to be put to practical use, in earnest. Effectually. Some of us - many of us - continue long into our adult lives still that playing at those things we should be doing in earnest. Life, outside of the safe confines of parental care, takes no prisoners; it can be harsh. Playing at life, rather than taking it seriously - shows an infantile approach to this gift that we are all living.

Play tends to taper out in adolescence - toys are put aside for tools. Parents should accelerate this process. Rites of passage are key. Bar Mitzvah comes at the right age - first Holy Communion is too early - Confirmation, too late. By the age of 12-13, toys should be put away - and playtime should be over. 

In my adolescence, this moment came when sticking together Airfix kits ceased to be play and became a craft; the process of making model planes and tanks had a different end - realism; an aesthetic goal. Many adults continue their hobbies that began in childhood and adolescence, but turn serious. Especially when money becomes involved, a hobby turning into a livelihood.

Am I effectual in what I'm doing? How can one judge?

I often ask myself whether I'm taking life seriously enough, or just coasting; hours of a day wasted, accomplishing little. For many, life's like that - wake up, go to work, come home, watch TV, go to sleep, repeat until retirement. With a bit of child-rearing in between to ensure the cycle continues into the next generation.

The moment in A Serious Man when protagonist Larry Gopnik is finally gone to see Rabbi Marshak, and is desperately appealing to his stern gatekeeper to have a word with the spiritual authority is crucial: "This is not a frivolous request. This is a serious - I'm a serious - I'm a - I've tried to be a serious man, you know?"

Do I take life seriously enough? Am I a serious man? Or am I still messing about - merely playing with life - after all these decades?

Setting life goals, prioritising them, seeing them through to the end, a good work rate - this would be how I define living life in earnest rather than in play.

This time last year:
Sunset's trip

This time seven years ago
The importance of the rucksack for the body

This time ten years ago:
How I almost saved Barrack Obama

This time 12 years ago:
Some anniversaries missed

This time 14 years ago:
Hissing of the summer lawns