zarastralia

In my case, 'flip the cutlery before placing it in the dishwasher.'

But yeah. The problem isn't that learning is unenjoyable, but that we don't enjoy it enough.

Something I recently discovered: the secret to deliberate practice is to consciously enjoy it by entering more deeply into the experience. This approach is the opposite of enforced drill. Thus, when you are bored and enjoyment starts to flag, you stop immediately (nothing is lost by this).

Enjoyment both motivates further practice and makes what you are trying to learn more memorable. For example, if you are memorising a phrase in a foreign language, you revel in the fruity sounds you are making and in the delicate dance your lips and teeth and tongue are performing; you marvel at the pattern of connections between the meaning of the phrase and other ideas you have learnt.

It goes against the grain because one of the legacies of schooling is the assumption that learning is difficult and painful. (Paradoxically, by continuing to believe this one makes it so.)

>Is it necessary to be unkind, even slightly?

No, sure, it isn't. However, one can write a useful reply in terms of content without being aware one is being unkind.

In such cases it will feel something like 'wow, I'm so clever today' or 'he deserves a good solid fisking'.

The trolls are useful in that they bring this problem into awareness. Kindness/decency is a requirement for continued discussion, which is at least as important as discussion itself.

Some thoughts about trolls:

(1) Any fine poster who is even slightly unkind will pick up trolls, like ivy on a great tree

(2) It follows from (1) that if you attract trolls then this is a sign that you are a good poster -- yay

(3) The ability to tolerate trolls in the sense of not being angry with them is a measure of your self-confidence.

(4) You feed and retain trolls them by responding negatively to them. You 'destroy' trolls by being nice to them.

(5) Powerful trolling is indistinguishable from good criticism

(6) It follows from (4),(5) that one way to destroy trolls is to cheerfully acknowledge any good arguments they may provide, however vile the tone