Lessons from the playground

I've always enjoyed standing back and watching children play. I like it a lot better when they are under the age of 30.

Have you ever noticed when you get a large group of adults together it begins to take on the air of a grade school playground?

First you have your bully and his contingency of "yes" men. You know the group. They are the ones that want everything to go their way. If it doesn't, they come up fighting: banging heads and slapping down the little guy like a pesky fly.

Then you have the guy who kind of attaches himself to the bully for self-preservation. He follows the bully everywhere, attempting to be as invisible as possible in order to avoid the wrath of the big guy, joining in only when he feels it will best benefit him.

On this imaginary playground, you can also find your class clown, your peacekeeper and the guy that nobody likes because he's a little different. Of course you will also find the ever-hopeful who hangs around just in case someone finds a place for him to squeeze in and the little guy that just wants to go off and play by himself.

It doesn't matter where you are. If there are a group of adults involved, you can bet the playground mentality will surface.

From political meetings to major social events -- board room to barroom -- that mindset has a way of rearing its ugly little head.

Things will be going along just fine, and then, without notice, the wrong chord will be struck and the fur will begin to fly. It could be a word, a sentence or something as minute as a look.

The class clown immediately jumps in trying to add levity to the whole situation. The peacekeeper will work to diffuse the crisis and the quiet guy will find a corner all his own to hide in. The ever-hopeful wonders which side will be the most accepting of him and the guy that's just a little different stands back and gleefully watches the events unfold.

I have to admit, I enjoy watching it a lot more now than I did when I was in third grade.

There is one other small group of playground activists I forgot to mention. A playground wouldn't be complete without the tattle-tale who runs to the teacher with every gory detail.

Of course we could always consider the alternative. Instead of these unique characters, we could live in a world where everyone agreed and no one would ever get anything accomplished.

I guess it's true -- everything we ever needed to know, we did learn in grade school.