This book challenges the most basic of human certainties that fear and aggression are normal, natural, and necessary. We all "know" that the world is a series of contests governed by the fixed and natural laws of survival. Our fear based approach to life"dead wrong." In Playing For Real I argue that we have a choice that makes real peace possible. This is a provocative and revolutionary thesis. Playing For Real is a pioneering book, doing what humans have assumed cannot be done--it demonstrates not only that we can choose love over fear, this much alone would be a profound advancement for human beings, but it is not enough. What makes Playing For Real a truly original book is that it goes beyond being a conceptual leap to presenting an innovative, universal, and tangible practice to achieve peace. By making the choice for peace readily accessible Playing For Real changes everything. This book is a subversive invitation to re-play our lives. I present an ambitious game plan and in doing so radically transform how we play the game of life. Playing For Real proposes a profound and until now unheeded cry for a paradigm shift from a contest world of "won" to a playful world of "one." In pressing the replay button we activate the transformative energies necessary to reconnect with our original sense of belonging to all life and in so doing make conflict obsolete. The book demonstrates that: (1)our contest model of life is a dead-end; (2)an innovative and universal code of peace is encrypted in the original play of life; (3)a paradigm shift based not on surviving but on thriving is required to access this code;(4)this code of peace is child's play. There it is, clear and simple. Peace is child's play. I know it seems absurd. But hold off on your judgments. Playing For Real is a "How-To-Be-So- Play-Will-Happen-With-You" book. Children and animals have invited me to play by heart. Their energy, trust, love, and touch have performed a kind of graceful triage, remaking my brain/mind, heart, body, and spirit. They have made me more real. Their lessons must be experienced to be realized. Children's gifts do not try to coax peace out of war, rather they mentor the skills of giving and receiving love anew each day without hiding in the refuge of fear. This book is about the choice to disengage and replace the contests of our lives and make our human existence the sacrament it is meant to be Make no mistake to play in our world of endless and fearful contests requires courage, the astonishing and hopeful thing is that no matter how harsh and violent are children's lives childhood's dream remains a taproot whose growth is as indestructible as the heart of the child within whom it is hidden.