This is a little narrow-minded. The process of doing mathematics is mostly diligence and hard work, and the higher up you go the more work you have to put in to reach those moments of insight and clarity that make the struggle worth it.<p>If your argument is that there is a blurry line between recreation and work when you love your job, then sure. Maybe the average person will believe that in some abstract intellectual sort of way. But I don&#x27;t think you&#x27;ll convince any mathematicians that their entire job is recreation. By analogy, I don&#x27;t think you&#x27;d convince any world-class musicians that their entire job is recreation when they&#x27;re doing music drills and rehearsing for ten hours a day.