We need opportunities for deep relaxation, to absorb the beauty and fullness of life, and to simply play.
Fishing on the Willamette River, with Portland in the background.
Beauty and play is an inalienable right of all beings. Two young girls from Richmond, California on their first trip to an ancient forest play handgames with the sawed-off end of a thousand-year old redwood tree in Muir Woods. A sun-dappled crowd gathers at a waterfront park for an afternoon of Blues. An old couple strolls through an art gallery, admiring the work of centuries past.
Beauty is the measure of life well-lived and a place well-stewarded. Ugliness tends to demean and stunt the spirit; it is usually a symptom of injustice and poor design. Reliable Prosperity promotes wholeness and life, and that which is playful and high spirited. Beauty and play can be found in the wild veins of an ancient forest, withincultural traditions, and throughout the daily life of a Community.
The Health of people and ecosystems are directly linked. Each benefits from the other's vitality. Beauty and Play allows us to interact with the ancient ecosystems that are our evolutionary birthright and original teacher. In the Productive Rural Areas our senses relax and harmonize with the environment. Dragonflies and cicadas gently catch our gaze.
Beauty and Play is a Fundamental Needs for all people — and all creatures — and is a basic indicator of vitality. It correlates directly with the effectiveness of the Ecological Infrastructure of any . Healthy urban rivers, wetlands, and forests attract both wildlife and people, offering abundant opportunities for recreation and sensory immersion.
Beauty and Play is also correlated with the strength of community and the sense of Security and relaxation that one feels in Human-Scale Neighborhoods and amongst great public spaces.
Celebrate beauty, wholeness, and play as central features of life.