Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
:: Flow - the Psychology of Optimal Experience
Whenever information disrupts consciousness by threatening its goals we have a condition of inner disorder, or psychic entropy, a disorganization of the self that impairs its effectiveness. Prolonger experiences of this kind can weaken the self to the point that it is no longer able to invest attention and pursue its goals.
It is usual to explain the motivation of those who enjoy dangerous activities as some sort of pathological need ... rather than a pathological thrill that comes from courting disaster, the positive emotion they enjoy is the perfectly healthy feeling of being able to control potentially dangerous forces.
... we must constantly reevaluate what we do, lest habits and past wisdom blind us to new possibilities.
The task is to learn how to enjoy everyday life without diminishing other people's chances to enjoy theirs.
We have seen how people describe the common characteristics of optimal experience: a sense that one's skills are adequate to cope with the challenges at hand, in a goal-directed, rule-bound action system that provides clear clues as to how well one is performing.
The most promising faith for the future might be based on the realization that the entire universe is a system related by common laws and that it makes no sense to impose our dreams and desires on nature without taking them into account. Recognizing the limitations of human will, accepting a cooperative rather than a ruling role in the universe, we should feel the relief of the exile who is finally returning home. The problem of meaning will then be resolved as the individual's purpose merges with the universal flow.