So what do we learn?

In the context of today's introductory discussion of McGonigal, I think this idea of educaiton (or anything really) as a "provider" is really important. Must we be provided with goals for learning or playing, such as in the classroom or in a game--both of which are designed by someone else for us? Or can we create our own goals for learning and life experience? When McGonical discusses the game Comfort of Strangers, she seems to think that we must be provided with a longing to connect with others. I like to think that this longing for human connection is present whether or not I am provided with the game or context for such connection. 

Furthermore, I was interested to see how often this word "goal" was used in our few moments of class discussion. Mcgonigal expresses that we find meaning from working with others towards a defined goal---no matter how arbitrary this goal is. I wonder, however, why goals are assumed to be so necessary? In the context of gaming, I understand that choosing to reach for an unecessary goal provides a feeling of happiness---sometimes epic hapiness even. Looking to my own life experiences, however, when I reach back and define which moments had most meaning or felt epic to me, I find that these are the moments in which I had no goal or where I experienced meaning from the very oppostite of my goal. Meaningful rewards may come from feeling that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves, but I would challenge the concept that this feeling always comes from reaching a goal. Sometimes we don't have a goal; we just experience something and later realize that our eyes were opened to a new perspective that adds great meaning to our lives.