Something which never fails to astound me is how people respond to simple magic tricks (especially the slight-of-hand ones that happen right under your nose). I think it's a childlike quality in all of us that responds to such trickery. We naturally want to be bewildered, for something to happen that we can't explain, and to be surprised. I think that's really the base reason why magicians don't explain their tricks--it ruins the marvelous illusion.
In the same way, puzzles that stretch and twist your mind are fun. There are a class of puzzles, called "lateral thinking puzzles," which typically can't be solved without thinking in unusual ways. Such as this classic: "A man jumps from a plane, without a parachute, yet survives. How?" Normally the answer is given as, "The plane is on the ground, not flying, so the man only jumped down to the ground, a distance of a few feet." Such puzzles challenge the assumptions you make without being told, and illuminate how your mind attempts answers. It's good to move past those assumptions. In the example I gave, the answer isn't the only one... there might be a dozen more, it's up to you to discover them.
I love having fun, especially when it takes me out of current situations and jiggles shiny marvels in my face. Movies, books, music, and so on are escapist fantasy to me. Fun is a very personal idea, though we all understand it. Considering all the occupations in our world that are completely based on people having fun, I know that it's something we all want and need. But, you also have to open yourself to it, and let the fun flow. So, get to it!
- M
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