It seems that people can claim they have experienced fun in one of two ways- past and present.
The people who say they are having fun in the present are aware that they are enjoying their current experience. It sounds simple, but a surprising amount of "fun" things don't fit into this category!
The people who say they have Had Fun- past tense- have sometimes decided that "fun" is the acceptable label for whatever torment they just went through. I think that this post-trauma-override thing is a bit of self-deceipt mixed in with a knowledge of culturally accepted "fun" activities.
Let's say you go bungee jumping. Even if you have a fear of falling, you will have fun! Even if you feel like you're falling to your death at the time. Even if you come down to the ground shaking, covered in sweat, and with a sore throat from screaming for your life. With the adrenaline still pumping through your body, you will remember that you just did a bungee jump. Your brain will tell you that "everyone knows bungee jumping is fun" and then you will smile and tell everyone that you just had Fun.
The weird thing is that you will probably believe it, too. You've just overridden your own personal opinion with what you know is the status quo. Voluntarily.
Other things that "everyone knows are fun" include dangerous extreme sports, getting drunk and throwing up, being ill, getting hurt in a fight, and most near-death experiences.
The past-tense "fun" label seems to be used to brainwash ourselves of things that might otherwise be bad memories. Who knows? If we remembered how bad they were, we might even learn from our mistakes! And that would obviously be awful...
But this also seems to distract us from the quieter, and more genuine feelings of pleasure we get. Sitting in a park in the warm sun wouldn't normally get referred to as "fun" because it's not considered to be that stimulating. But when I'm there, it feels nice, and I can feel all the good parts of it. Why is that not fun? Does fun in the 21st century need to threaten my health to be real fun?
What is the last "fun" thing you think you did?
When was the last time you enjoyed yourself?
Did you give the same or two different answers to those questions?
Read another post about knowledge...
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