Responsibility <> fun

I was secretly hoping that the "<>" in the headline might throw a spanner into the Adagia works but looks like it rendered just fine.

I was having a debate with

abrahamKim

  on Telegram about my claim that responsibility <> fun. In other words, generally speaking, the more responsibility one has, the less fun life is for that person. Of course, I'm generalizing because I can't address every single case.

Take most children as a notable example. Kids arguably have the most fun out of all of us because they are footloose and fancy-free with little to no responsibility. Outside of doing chores around the house, taking care of some animals, and doing schoolwork, they basically have the rest of their time to pursue fun. In fact, they are often commanded by adults to "go play" and "go have fun." They don't have to worry about jobs or paying bills or any number of responsibilities that show up when they become adults.

Somewhere along the way, we get more freedom but also more responsibilities. We start to do more and more things because we have to not because we want to. Who wants to pay bills, deal with taxes, confront health problems, deal with aging relatives, or any number of things that pop up as we get older? None of that stuff is fun.

Maybe you've got a job that is the World's Greatest Job and it is the most fun ever. Good for you. Just about all the people I know don't have a job like that. Work is "blurk" and just pays the bills while taking up time that could be spent having fun. 

Sir Abe noted that people who are the happiest are those whose responsibilities were their source of fun. To quote Jerry Seinfeld, "Who are these people??" I'd like to meet one.

Again, this is a generalization. Even a broken clock is right twice a day. I'm sure there are exceptions, but in general, responsibility <> fun.