This is the premier topic of the Weekly Thought Exchange. I chose it because I am aware of the fact that a large portion of the Exchange’s potential following will not do so simply because it does not sound fun. Why does fun monopolize the attention of today’s young people? If weighed in the balance of time with self-improvement, making a difference, caring for one’s general health, and improving the welfare of society, fun, for the sake of mere pleasure, would quickly come up wanting; yet “having fun” rarely loses when the younger generations make the choice for how to spend their time.

Now I do not want to give a puritanical impression of dour expressions, clothing in various shades of gray, and cold classrooms with a copy of Dante’s Inferno on every desk.  Not at all! There should be a healthy balance of work and play; I simply have the impression that play is beginning to consume the scale. Is it possible to cultivate one’s mind and give back to one’s community, while still finding pleasure and fulfillment in doing so? Or does an activity have to be mindless in order to be fun?