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Introduction: Welcome to the Otter Philosophy
Stressed? Overworked? No time for play? There must be an otter way!
Otters are some of the most delightful animals on the planet. These long, lean, furry creatures embody pure joy in so many ways. What other species builds water slides for fun? Or holds hands with their friends just because? Or wraps themselves in seaweed, so they can nap without floating away? These intelligent, water-dwelling mammals are not only an essential part of the world’s (and YouTube’s) ecosystem, they also have a lot to teach us about the way we live.
In a world obsessed with work and productivity, otters are a reminder about the importance of play.* They’re fun, lively animals that love a good laugh with friends. They don’t give a shit about deadlines, or who ate the last bonbon or how many emails are in their inbox. Hell, they don’t really stress about anything. ‘Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game’ is their motto (and Michael Jordan’s). They resist the assumption that being an adult requires a serious, no-nonsense attitude. They embrace playtime like it’s their job. They laugh and chatter and take group naps together, to-do lists be damned. And they’ve also been on this planet in some form or another for around 6 million years – a testament to the value of their way of life, surely? In a world that often feels isolating and lonely, where hard work and productivity are valued above all else, it’s high time we recognised the wisdom of these joyful, friendly animals.
If you’ve been paying attention to the internet or been to the zoo in recent years, you’re likely a bit envious of the otter already. We’ve all seen videos of otters holding hands, playing with balls and nibbling sea urchins (and I mean literally everyone has seen them – these videos have 40 billion views). And everyone from your mum to your best friend sends you otter GIFs, otter birthday cards and links to articles about otters doing cute things. ‘Look!’ we seem to be saying, ‘Look at this joy! Share this joy with me!’ But perhaps we’re also wondering: is this kind of joy really possible? Well, the otter philosophy is here to tell you that it is. And the PLAY method will show you how. So, what’s their secret? Why are they so happy? What can we learn from these slippery little joy weasels? Read on, and wonder no more.
The Little Book of Otter Philosophy is packed with otter science, studies on friendship (friends can help you live longer), napping and playfulness (play can keep you feeling younger), quotes, original poems and quizzes to help you live life like you otter.† With chapters on love and friendship, food and drink, leisure and pleasure, work and school, home and the environment and health and happiness, it’ll show you how best to incorporate the otter philosophy into every aspect of your life. Plus, the PLAY philosophy will offer a quick and easy way to remember what you’ve learned. So get ready to reclaim your joy and have a bit of otterly good fun. More fun than a barrel of monkeys, in fact.‡
* Remember when everyone lost their minds over adult colouring books? We’re desperate for fun.
† Numerous otter puns are also included for your enjoyment.
‡ Otters out-fun monkeys by any measure. Sorry, Curious George.
Follow the PLAY Method for a More Joyful Life
‘Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do. Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.’
Mark Twain
Otters love to learn. They’re almost insatiably curious about everything and anything. So the first step to following the otter philosophy is learning its key tenets, albeit in an easy, fun way. Now, every book that purports to be helpful requires a neat acronym to help the memory-challenged among us to retain a useful takeaway. So please find here the PLAY method:
P
Plunge in. This probably sounds a bit weird and that’s because there aren’t a lot of motivational things that begin with ‘P’. But the point here is to embrace the elements. Forget about constantly protecting yourself, and be sure to enjoy the opportunity to get wet when it arises – as an otter would. In a literal sense, this means always bringing your swimsuit if there’s a pool, lake, hot tub or lazy river at your destination. It means never bringing an umbrella. (If there’s wind, it’s pointless, and if there’s a light drizzle, enjoy the feeling of getting wet.) In a monsoon, you’re probably indoors anyway. In a figurative sense, taking the plunge means acting impulsively. Trying new things. Fully committing to your actions. Going all in – no half measures here. You get the idea. Basically, always say yes to skinny dipping. I realise it may seem like people only go skinny dipping in the movies, but if you’re young or old or somewhere in between, and someone somewhere asks you if you want to jump naked into a body of water, flabby bits and all, you won’t regret saying yes.
L
Laugh about it. Otters technically don’t smile or laugh, probably, but they’re happy and playful and look to be enjoying life most of the time. Being able to see the funny side of things is an important coping mechanism. The ability to laugh in the midst of our darkest moments is a healthy way of dealing with life’s hard knocks. When my dad falls down in public (he has Parkinson’s disease), he often jokes that he does it for the attention (specifically, the attention of the ladies who rush to help him up). In fact, black humour is one of the best ways to deal with horrible things, if you can manage it. And it’s a great way to deal with the random stupidity that is daily life. Of course, when something’s actually funny, it’s the best thing in the world to laugh out loud. Not a keyboard LOL, but a true vocal cackle or bark or shriek or guffaw – whatever noise you emit when you’re truly happy. And what’s so serious, anyway? I mean, I know lots of things are, and it’s not about trivialising what’s truly important to us. But we’ll all be dead soon. Might as well have a bit of fun along the way.
A
Ask why. This step is all about cultivating curiosity.
Curiosity means we are engaged with the world and ensures our brains are always learning new things, which, in turn, keeps us young. You know how when you’re around kids they’ll ask you things like, ‘What is yellow made of?’ and, ‘What’s your favourite kind of bird?’ Watch otters at play and you’ll notice the same kind of curiosity. They’re interested in different rocks, passing fish, toy balls and each other – everything in their line of sight is worthy of investigation. This is the kind of curiosity we should all strive for. Why are things the way they are? What do you think