I appreciate this concept of which the sake to find meaning is somewhat mirrored in Alan Watts Philosophy, though this is what I can describe from his teachings is that life is not a journey but rather like music to be played along as you dance your way to it. Though this is an eastern teaching but still, a good way to get into the basics or rather beg the question to existentialism.
Good eye! While this video was a short exploration of it using Western explanations, I plan to explore how Alan Watts articulated a similar idea and how specific concepts in Eastern thought suggest parallel ideas in separate future videos.
So how do you bring play to work? Is it just about finding that perspective and deploying it again and again until it becomes habit? I guess we shouldn't seek to become things but just to become lost in the pursuit of certain skill development...depending on what skill you wish to develop, you may change job role?
Great questions! I can't say that you should try to attain the perspective since that would be contradictory to doing something for its own sake. I believe that we are capable of naturally acting for the sake of the action. However, when we start thinking and questioning why we are doing something, we start creating unnecessary explanations. But there are certain areas in which we will find doing for the sake of doing easier than others which would make it reasonable to seek a job in an area where you can be lost in doing with ease. That isn't to say that it is impossible to do in other areas. Any job can be playful, but we will find it easier to play at some than others. In the case that someone finds great difficulty in playing at their job, then a change could certainly set them better off.
Hedonism takes pleasure to be the highest good and the aim for one's life. What I advocate for here, 'play', takes aimlessness (intrinsic value) to be the highest good. The hedonist would seek out the maximization of pleasure and all these actions would have extrinsic value (the attainment of pleasure). Instead, 'play' is the point at which an action is done for itself, not for pleasure or any other extrinsic value. In this way, intrinsic value is not identical to pleasure, and actually rather far from it!
I appreciate this concept of which the sake to find meaning is somewhat mirrored in Alan Watts Philosophy, though this is what I can describe from his teachings is that life is not a journey but rather like music to be played along as you dance your way to it. Though this is an eastern teaching but still, a good way to get into the basics or rather beg the question to existentialism.
Good eye! While this video was a short exploration of it using Western explanations, I plan to explore how Alan Watts articulated a similar idea and how specific concepts in Eastern thought suggest parallel ideas in separate future videos.
So how do you bring play to work?
Is it just about finding that perspective and deploying it again and again until it becomes habit?
I guess we shouldn't seek to become things but just to become lost in the pursuit of certain skill development...depending on what skill you wish to develop, you may change job role?
Great questions! I can't say that you should try to attain the perspective since that would be contradictory to doing something for its own sake. I believe that we are capable of naturally acting for the sake of the action. However, when we start thinking and questioning why we are doing something, we start creating unnecessary explanations. But there are certain areas in which we will find doing for the sake of doing easier than others which would make it reasonable to seek a job in an area where you can be lost in doing with ease. That isn't to say that it is impossible to do in other areas. Any job can be playful, but we will find it easier to play at some than others.
In the case that someone finds great difficulty in playing at their job, then a change could certainly set them better off.
How is this not hedonism?
Hedonism takes pleasure to be the highest good and the aim for one's life. What I advocate for here, 'play', takes aimlessness (intrinsic value) to be the highest good. The hedonist would seek out the maximization of pleasure and all these actions would have extrinsic value (the attainment of pleasure). Instead, 'play' is the point at which an action is done for itself, not for pleasure or any other extrinsic value. In this way, intrinsic value is not identical to pleasure, and actually rather far from it!
@@IanWithyBerry I see! I talked about this with a friend today. So in some ways - rather than doing what you love, learn to love what you do?