This stirs up a good discussion. My way of having a satisfying intellectual life is not just by juggling many ideas, but also by problem solving. I find immense satisfaction in making something work or creating something that didn't exist before. Many times, this requires problem solving with creativity, compromise and tradeoffs. Some times, it requires deep diving into academic papers and doing some math. When this ends up working it is truly a triumphant feeling; however it might sometimes not work at all.

Another thing is meeting and absorbing knowledge from other people. It's incredible to learn or even just watch skillful people do their thing.