Children on the playground at recess can teach us so much about life.

Sometimes they play by the rules. Sometimes they just want to kick balls around and not play a scoring game at all. Sometimes they create games where a few strong kids can change the rules to keep in power and oust the rest of the kids.

Four Square is frequently a game where the powerful maintain control over the the rest of the kids.

Just like learning that a clump of wet paper towels will stick to the ceiling in the bathroom, somehow alternative rules for the game of Four Square mysteriously show up at schools across the country…and the rest of the kids go along with it.

I wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson about it.

Four Square

Dear Thomas Jefferson,

It is always interesting to me to compare what is happening today with what you experienced.

When you were planning the country with the other Founding Fathers, did you ever consider what would happen when people in power did not follow the laws of the land? Did you think about norms of behavior and expect that people would behave properly? When you were President, did you ever think about abuse of power? Did politicians ever change rules so that they had more power?

Emile Durkheim said, “When mores are sufficient, laws are unnecessary; when mores are insufficient, laws are unenforceable.”

I have watched many kids play pickup games on the playground. Some of kids always play fair. Most of the time, everyone plays by the rules. When everyone trusts each other, and no one is taking unfair advantage, there is harmony and peace.

Did you learn to play Four Square when you were a boy? One big square is divided into four smaller squares and each square is numbered one to four. One player plays in each square, and the ball is bounced from square to square. The player in square #4 is the server. When you enter the game in square #1, the object is to eliminate players in the higher squares so that you can advance to the highest square yourself. If you cause a ball to hit a line or bounce out, or if miss a ball, you are out, and the next person in line enters the first square, and you go to the end of the line.

It is a fun game.

It is especially fun to experiment and improvise the rules when everyone in the game agrees. Two bounces for every play. Moving out of your square is allowed, but you still defend your own square. Variations such as these, are called local rules.

Some local rules give the player in square #4 the unique advantage of creating special rules to tailor the game to help him or her stay in the game longer. After each round the player in the top square must call the rules again, or it is assumed that there are no special rules for that round.

Unfortunately, there are times when some kids try to call rules that give themselves or their friends unfair advantage. It works especially well, when another player teams up with the server to control the game.

There are times when I think that elected members of the US Congress have never advanced beyond the rules of Four Square when they do their work. They play for power. They play to stay in the game, not to play a game that considers other people. Sometimes, in the halls of Congress, the role of obstructionist is the most powerful game to play, and then nothing ever gets accomplished.

Do you think that learning about laws, playing by the rules, trusting your friends, figuring out how to compromise, and practicing consensus should be taught in our nation’s schools?

When we get together, let’s talk about what happens when kids do not learn those lessons in school. I think that leads some people to learn the rules and then apply the rules to exploit other people or circumstances. It is a really powerful tactic and gives some people a huge unfair advantage over other people.

What do you think?

Sincerely,

Katy Dalgleish

If I was writing a letter to TJ today, I would ask what he thinks about deregulating banks and turning them into investment entities. I would wonder what he thinks about the government bailing out those banks when they fail.