Doug Motel, is an award-winning writer/actor and project coach who has been sharing his tips for living in the present for the past 15 years. Doug’s unique combination of storytelling, lively dialogue, guided meditation, writing and experiential exercises have been presented in workshop format for groups and organizations all over the U.S.
After becoming interested in professor, writer, and orator Joseph Campbell from his interviews on PBS with Bill Moyers, I read this great quote from his best selling book Myths to Live By: “There is a curious, extremely interesting term in Japanese that refers to a very special manner of polite, aristocratic speech known as “play language,” asobase kotoba, whereby, instead of saying to a person, for example, “I see that you have come to Tokyo,” one would express the observation by saying, “I see that you are playing at being in Tokyo”—the idea being that the person addressed is in such control of his life and his powers that for him everything is a play, a game. He is able to enter into life as one would enter into a game, freely and with ease.” The concept of “asobase kotoba” thrilled me because there seemed to be so little out there to support my personal belief that an attitude of play, directed toward our so-called “adult life” was essential for successful living (successful by my definition at least.) What makes Asobase Katoba so powerful is that when you bring the attitude of playfulness into your language: “I am playing the game of finding a new career”, “I am playing the game of investing money to buy a home.” You start to think of your desires not as problems to be solved but opportunities to play and express. Like mastery at any game, it takes practice but the rewards as indescribable.
After becoming interested in professor, writer, and orator Joseph Campbell from his interviews on PBS with Bill Moyers, I read this great quote from his best selling book Myths to Live By: “There is a curious, extremely interesting term in Japanese that refers to a very special manner of polite, aristocratic speech known as “play language,” asobase kotoba, whereby, instead of saying to a person, for example, “I see that you have come to Tokyo,” one would express the observation by saying, “I see that you are playing at being in Tokyo”—the idea being that the person addressed is in such control of his life and his powers that for him everything is a play, a game. He is able to enter into life as one would enter into a game, freely and with ease.”
The concept of “asobase kotoba” thrilled me because there seemed to be so little out there to support my personal belief that an attitude of play, directed toward our so-called “adult life” was essential for successful living (successful by my definition at least.)
What makes Asobase Katoba so powerful is that when you bring the attitude of playfulness into your language: “I am playing the game of finding a new career”, “I am playing the game of investing money to buy a home.” You start to think of your desires not as problems to be solved but opportunities to play and express.
Like mastery at any game, it takes practice but the rewards as indescribable.