expaaaaand? why c'ertainly.
"
The pattern is obvious: as we become more experienced we become more aware of the possible downside of our participation"
my point was that these 'consequences' are largely social constructions and are relative to your age. what is the downside? apprehension of some real consequence or is it always relative to societal expectations?
example: you want to go on a road trip with no definite plan. when you are 17-18 years old no one has much for you in the way of expectations, you don't probably have a mortgage etc so there isnt much consequence. no one really judges etc its just kind of expected for you to try new things and go new places.
if you are 30 and you want to go on that same road trip, your boss, your wife and your landlord will immediately ask you if you are feeling ok.
my position is that we are conditioned to act a certain way (trained how to be 'mature') and that our actions have to match those expectations or we suffer consequences. ( and not that the consequences are 100% reactions based on experience but often originate at society and point in at us)
a certain maturity is expected of you at 21, at 31 etc etc.
i interpreted your post to (rougly) say: " we do these dumb or trivial things enthusiatically when we are young but we get burnt so we become cautious and unenthusiastic and resistant to new experiences "
i think that's part of it but look at the process of becoming mature:
i remember sitting in my apartment one day when i was a young adult and inviting my parents over for breakfast. i did my best to seem in control, calm, sober and confident. they responded with praise. all of society did - "oh look how civilized how mature! he goes to work every day and pays rent etc etc what a great guy..."
a few months earlier loved ones were calling each other trying to find out if i was still alive or not. i got NO praise then from family friends or society then - in fact i got constant signals that my lifestyle was scary and that doesnt inspire enthusiasm.
now later that night one of my friends came over to see my new place with a massive pile of cocaine and said 'lets get high and go clubbing!'. i knew i had to work the next day, i knew if i did what he had i'd end up spending my meager salary to buy more etc etc. so i said no.
it wasnt fear of the hangover or lack of enthusiasm for the proposition or whatever - it was fear of losing my status as 'mature person' as defined by society en masse by screwing everything up. when i saw my 'party-n' friends in the future i scoffed at their lifestyle and teased them, not because i really disapproved, but because i knew i had to avoid being associated with that lifestyle by others to keep my newfound position in society (ya know, as a member:))
you are rewarded for joining society and punsihed for resisting its norms. i think the lack of enthuiasm comes from the possibilty of losing this status as much as any fear of actual consequences.
in summary, i dont think it is our past experiences alone that make us measured, jaded and unenthusiastic. i think we feel the need to purposely become jaded, measured and enthusiastic as outward signs of maturity. it is a lot more comfortable than the unknown and the enthusiasm it brings.
example: now you are older you see some chick at a bar flirting with you- but instead of hitting on her, the football game on the bar tv actually catches your attention and completely diverts it for a few seconds.
is it because women arent as new and fascinating? because you have seen the bad side of them? or is it because as a graduated mature man you should be distant and are now practiced at it? anyone who is eager comes off like a kid right?
i remember kirk douglas, the duke, newman, steve mcqueen etc - they didnt give a damn about any woman, the women fell all over them. to me, you knew you were mature when you got to be like that not stuttering and chasing them.
- Is a jaded (tempered) view the inevitable end of enthusiasm? common? dependent on the individual's view? no. the trick is to step out of the mainstream a little and forget what you've been 'learned' about being mature. after considerable practice you can seperate yourself from the masses and live relatively free. that was my bit about balance. (the illusion of maturity and fear of social rejection define your hesitance more than actual consequence- redefining your expectations about where you want to be in society negate those fears and promote enthusiasm.)
- Is enthusiasm even a valid approach to something new or is it something that gives spice to life and should be considered a human reaction, divorced from its consequences? enthusiasm seems to lie at the threshhold of uncharted territory. if you feel you are recovering ground youre not going to be enthusiastic. if you arent making new ground for yourself then dont expect to feel enthusiasm all the time. if you are looking for a spark by covering the same old ground the you are spinning your wheels.
hmmm i wonder if i even answered your question somewhere in there - maybe not.
theres a lot of answers really, i think this is kinda relative to your existence, but anyway theres something to consider.
i embrace an existentialist worldview, so to me society is being created everyday and the final product is up to us. its all uncharted territory and no problem at all to stay enthusiastic.
its no coincidence that i am enthusiastic about 'new things' and not 'the same old things' - its more of a condition. at least the type of enthusiasm youre talking about.
