Fun

The subject of Fun is one of the most serious topics we can discuss. One of the greatest achievements of my lifetime has been the maintenance of the capacity for fun from early childhood. Another has been coming to an understanding of what Fun is. And so, Fun is the cornerstone of my life, and the foundation of everything I do.


I know that I am sometimes perceived as a serious dude, talking about Principles and other not-so-fun topics, but when you know what Fun is, then you will see why even serious, or thought inducing, weighty matters can be Fun. I want to talk about this subject because it is vital to making progress as a person.. In fact, you cannot MAKE any progress as a guitarist, unless you know how to have Fun. We "play" the guitar. You cannot "play" if you don't know how to have fun. It's true that "practice" sometimes seems like "work", but you will see that work is not the opposite of play, or the opposite of fun. Work can, and should, be Fun.


Now, Fun is a funny thing. For some people, going out dancing and drinking all night is fun. For others, that would be torture, but sitting quietly and reading a book on philosophy is Fun. For some people, jamming on the electric guitar for hours is fun, for others, sitting with a metronome for an hour of disciplined practice is Fun (and yes, the same person may find each of these things to be Fun at different times). For some people, having to solve difficult problems requiring great thought is Fun, and for another, it is nothing but a headache. So, what is going on here?


The fact is that anything can be Fun for some person or the other. However, the particular things that we find to be Fun say everything about who we are as people, and what our level of personal development is. However, there is one common denominator that is always present when a person says "this is fun". That common denominator is "creative enjoyment". Fun is creative enjoyment. Einstein working out the theory of relativity, or Michael Jordan shooting a basket; both are having Fun. Both are "creatively enjoying". As long as this quality is present, ANYTHING can be fun. Without this quality, NOTHING is fun.


What is "creative enjoyment"? Well, "creative" is almost self-explanatory. It is basically bringing something new into the world. It could be a dinner, an idea, a blanket, a building, whatever. Whatever is being created, it involves bringing something "out" of yourself, and giving it some kind of form on the outside. How you are going to have fun in you being creative is upto the individuality of ther person.


For me FUN never ceases to exist. Its an everlastingly ongoing process.