Is Learning Fun?

A line from Kim's response to a question on a previous post of mine has gotten me thinking. Kim asserted that "It is true that learning is fun." But is it? I'm not so sure.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/who-we-are/201104/how-educators-misunderstand-students

In the above article, the author, Steven Reiss, a Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Psyciatry at Ohio State University, says that the answer is, quite simply, "no." His assertion is that learning is not, in fact, fun, except for a small number of people who are so enamored with it that they become educators. These individuals make the mistake of assuming that something that is true for them must be true for everyone.

In fact, google "is learning fun?" and the results come up with a plethora of results on how to MAKE learning fun. This should cause some pause. If learning is inherently fun, why must we take extra effort to MAKE it fun? Shouldn't it be fun in and of itself?

This error, the assumption that learning is fun for ONE person must mean that learning is fun for EVERYONE, reeks of the sort of blindness that can commonly be seen in evangelists. They are firm in their belief that THEIR church is the right way and the best way to reach , and thus feel compelled to try to convince others that their way is right. But just because this religion is right for the evangelist does not necessarily mean it will be right for the family next door, the politician down the street, or the atheists across the country. Intelligent, reasonable people would find this idea absurd. So why do we cling to the notion that learning must be fun, when most children (and adults!) clearly do not find it either fun or worthwhile?

This post is filled with questions, so feel free to answer any one of those, or indeed the title of the post: Is learning fun?