Yet hostile play and humor, by themselves, are not the root problem. As long as hostility exists, play and humor provide better outlets for its expression than many other avenues. The problem is that our culture is only slowly becoming adept at distinguishing between friendly and hostile play and humor. It should not surprise us, then, if our society has some wariness towards play and humor. It is going to take the development of a well recognized style of play and humor that releases their full positive power while minimizing the ways they can be abused.
Stewardship is the complement to Play.
It honors the form and structure of things, delighting in the familiar and nurturing what already exists. While Play allows the emergence of new forms, Stewardship enables existing forms to reach their fullest potential. In our society, we often see play and stewardship as opposing qualities, with some personalities drawn more to one or the other. But when I set aside this stereotype and look around me with fresh eyes, I notice that many of the people whom I know as wonderfully playful are also deeply caring and sensitive, and in the same way, those who are most effective with their stewardship seem to have a lightness about them. What emerges for me is the sense that, rather than being in conflict, play and stewardship form a powerful synergetic team.