WORTH THINKING ABOUT: THE JOY OF THE PUZZLE
The joy of science, management, romance, baseball (and maybe everything
else) is best explained as the joy of the puzzle. Here's what the renowned
English physicist John Ziman said on the subject:
"Scientific research is solving puzzles. The pleasure to be got from it
is the pleasure of the crossword or jig-saw addict. First the blank diagram,
or the scatter of meaningless pieces; then an occasional tentative clue or
the few pieces of the same colour that seem to fit together; next a period
of frustration, going over and over the list of clues, or trying piece after
piece in the most unlikely conjunctions; then -- ah the sweet joy of the
word that completes a doubtful acrostic, or the section that springs to life
as a tree, or a house or a pot of flowers; finally, the completion of the
pattern, with clue after clue solved in rapid succession, or the last few
pieces tumbling into place. By accepting the challenge, the tension, the
concentration, the frustration, we heighten the pleasure of the moment or
revelation. The more difficult the puzzle, the greater the tension -- and so
much greater the delights of solution."