On Parksify (Updated)
July 16, 2013 | ∞ I am particularly pleased[1] to have a piece I wrote published on the brand new Parksify, a site devoted to exploring the various aspects and features of public space. My piece is a celebration of the life lessons to be learned by our children as evidenced by an experience I had with my son while playing at South Park in San Francisco.
This is why we go to The Park. Yes, the park is great for providing kids with a place to exercise and play. Yes, the park is great for getting kids outside exploring their world. But the park is more than that because it is a public place – a social place. The physical benefits of the park can be garnered in other ways, but the social aspect, the learning how to peacefully coexist with others – that only happens in a public place. For our children, the park serves as a proxy for life – a place where kids can get real world interaction with total strangers, a place where kids can explore the limits of their independence, a place where kids can learn life lessons on how to behave in a social world. The world is full of unpleasant people – self-centered bullies who feel better about themselves at the expense of others. But the world is even more full of really great people. People who are friendly and nice. People who spread joy wherever they go. People who enrich our lives. The park teaches kids how to interact with all types of people because the whole spectrum of humanity is represented.
Go read the whole piece and then check out the rest of Parksify.
UPDATE: This article has also been cross-published on Urban Times.
-
Since starting this journey over a year ago, my work has exclusively been here on this site. This has been my home. And it will remain my home. But just like the real world, it is important to stretch out and broaden your horizons. So I’m delighted to expand my writing to a new site and a new audience. ↩
Reader Comments