(For some reasons I seem to be unable to write in Japanese due to keyboard problems )
Recently a friend of mine pointed out that the word amateur comes from love in derivation. Thus amateur is those who do out of love by definition.
On the other hand, professionals are those who profess they can do certain things as a profession.
I find this interesting and insightful.
Now it is also interesting that we almost never hear about amateur in the fields like legal or medical. In these fields, nobody can be a professional unless he/she passes the state exam. On the other hands, there is no such relentlessly clear-cut distinction between amateur and professionals in the fields such as music or fine arts, making it sometimes difficult for professionals to make themselves distinct from keen amateurs, which can sometimes make professionals feel unhappy.
