For me, "aha" moments often make me feel like I've come closer to understanding myself and the universe. I suppose it's a kind of pleasure, but it's not directly a practical goal. It can definitely happen with learning a new language, because the language may encode and communicate information in ways I've never thought about before.
Got it. I guess we're very different then, I don't feel like I'm getting any closer to "understanding myself and the universe" nor is it a goal for me. Perhaps it was when I was younger.
Yeah, we are probably different. I suppose my primary goal is to love and be kind. But trying to figure out what the hell is going on is a strong second place.
I think there's some nuance between your view and their's, but I do find these perspectives to often divide people. If you're learning an arbitrary language for literally no reason at all—you don't know anyone who speaks it or have any intention of ever speaking it to someone—then that activity might struggle to compete with other things you might have a more coherent reason to do. The people I know who are more driven by tangible results, money, and outcomes, struggle to value things that have no previously established obvious purpose.
I'd use the example of hiking literally all day without the promise of a good viewpoint; I'd invite the person out, with only a plausible estimate of the time required, and they'd want to just find something that takes less time so they can schedule something afterward. Along the way, they'll be rushing to meet that time, because this is just exercise or whatever to them, and in some way they aren't at peace the idea that we're both just here in the forest maybe chatting maybe not, there's no tangible justification for the mission.
Another type of person would replace tangible outcomes with the feeling that they always need to be learning, regardless of what it is, because it's intrinsically virtuous, and they also sometimes fail to be at peace with doing something for no reason, or nothing at all.
I've wavered between these over the years, and now I'll learn something because it's a clear weak spot, or I can imagine how it might be interesting, and if I don't have anything else that's more compelling (including doing nothing) I might give it a go. What's different now than a few years ago is how much I respect serious time involvement. Anything I decide is worth trying to learn is something I need to feel capable of dedicating serious energy to, at least in the first year; if I can't or don't want to, then maybe I won't, and I shouldn't fool myself into thinking I should or will, because I have other things going on. If I'm going hiking, that's my day, that's it, that's the whole activity, if anyone wants to join me then that's great, they need to accept the same mentality or they can stay home. If we happen to get back before the bars close, then that's great too. I might find Swahili interesting too, and if it seemed worth trying, I'd dive in on the basis that I'd just get a sense for how a different language works, and that there might be something surprising along the way, which to me is inherently valuable.
How boring would life be if you new at the outset how much pleasure you'd get out of any given thing? Goals are nice, but not everything should have a goal attached, and not all pleasure should be attached to goals
