Purpose

We make clear distinctions between things which serve a purpose and things which have no purpose.

On first inspection it may appear that those wheelie toys that I loved as a kid (and still love, to be honest) in which a wheel that has magnets on it moves up and down two metal rods, is a pointless toy. How does a wheel moving between two bars teach you anything? But you could argue that this toy's purpose is to amuse us.

Frivolity is a valid end in itself, and one that is often overlooked. Humans, especially children, need time to explore and discover things about their world that they can not learn through structured play. Without objectives, the mind can think wonderful, new, innovative thoughts that simply can not be forced because when the kid begins to ponder something he has no idea where his thoughts are going. He can also relax and completely be himself without worrying about whether or not he will succeed. Playing sports, instruments, video games, or cards can all be great things, but they need to be balanced with free play. Some studies suggest that kids get frustrated, aggressive, distracted, and sometimes physically sick more easily when they are not allowed any time to play without structure. Letting a kid go explore the woods or a field or run around a playground are excellent opportunities for free play.

And if I may get back to the wheelie toy for a second, while it delights us, it shows us an application of magnetism and teaches us a little about physics. A kid who thinks he hates physics could be taught something and enjoy learning it, especially if the kid has parents who are good at explaining how things work. (Thank you, Dad, that's a nod to you). And the kid improves his hand-eye coordination while he moves the rods up and down to make the wheel move. So this seemingly pointless object serves at least three important functions.

Okay, that makes sense. But what about a toy that's broken beyond repair and can't be salvaged for parts? It can be really sad for a kid to have to throw out favorite toys that have broken. But what choice does he have; what purpose does it serve now? They can be important reminders of the way things used to be. Many memories can be rekindled by the sight of an old toy. Most of us don't have room to store every single toy we've ever played with, nor would we want to do so. But I definitely save my favorites, even when they no longer work, because I want to remember what life was like back in the day for myself, and for my future kids and grandkids. Like photographs, these things serve no purpose per se but they are important aids for our memories as to how things used to be. For someone who's experienced traumatizing change, looking through old photos or old toys can be a painful but therapeutic tool for accepting new circumstances without forgetting everything that was.

Then there are things which seem incapable of ever having done anything for us. Some would consider bad art and awkward inventions (like toilet-paper dispenser head-gear, for a man-on-the-go with a cold) to be totally pointless. As for bad art, just because you don't like it doesn't make it Bad. Chances are he can find someone, somewhere who will buy it from him if he looks hard enough. And even if the artist has to give it to his mom, the piece can make her proud that at least he's trying. Or if his dad rags on him for being an artist instead of a doctor, he can destroy the piece and get out some pent up anger. The artist will either learn from his "mistake" and let it inspire him to do better next time, or he'll look harder for the perfect target audience. (Every minute another sucker is born.) Likewise, behind every great invention are many botched attempts or off-kilter ideas. It's unfortunate that someone may spend so much time trying to make a great invention only to be laughed at, but hey, there is real value in frivolity.

What about trash? This plastic wrapper used to protect my candy bar, but now it's going to take up space at a landfill. I honestly don't know what to tell you. But I hope that someday we can find a way to use only materials that can be re-used, and that, when they do go back to the earth, cause a minimal amount of harm, like packing peanuts made of cornstarch that decompose (and can be eaten if you feel like it).

So there are things which serve us and things which once served us, but is there anything that has never taught anyone anything about life or made a life better, easier, or more interesting? I mean something which serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever. I refer to things, animals, plants, people, emotions.... in essence, every noun. I can't think of anything, but please tell me if you do. I'd be very interested to know.

Walk in beauty.