I enjoy your posts Harold. I have to say though that I think the idea that learning always has to involve pain and difficulty is only partially true. When it comes to important life lessons, this is often (although not always) the case - we tend not to change or learn the lesson until things become really uncomfortable and change becomes vital.

When it comes to learning new skills and information however, I believe that learning can be joyful and (almost) easy. I also believe that people are more likely to learn when they are relaxed and enjoying the experience. The alpha brainwave (ie awake but relaxed) state supports learning the best. That's not to say that we should include no element of challenge - just that when challenge tips over into struggle and struggle becomes stress, the individual will be learning nothing, and more - may form a block to the learning.