Amateur Hour

The Golden Hour

"But originally, “amateur,” from the Latin verb amare, “to love,” referred to a person who loved what he was doing.  Similarly, a “dilettante,” from the Latin delectare, “to find delight in,” was someone who enjoyed a given activity. The earliest meanings of these words therefore drew attention to experiences rather than accomplishments; they described the subjective rewards individuals gained from doing things, instead of focusing on how well they were achieving.  

Nothing illustrates as clearly our changing attitudes toward the value of experience as the fate of these two words.  There was a time when it was admirable to be an amateur poet or a dilettante scientist, because it meant that the quality of life could be improved by engaging in such activities.  But increasingly the emphasis has been to value behavior over subjective states; what is admired is success, achievement, the quality of performance rather than the quality of experience.  Consequently it has become embarrassing to be called a dilettante, even though to be a dilettante is to achieve was counts most – the enjoyment one’s actions provide." 

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience