My narrow and wrong view of hobbies
For quite some time now, I've listed my hobbies as these:
Playing Piano
Playing Flute
Music Composition
Photography
Reading
Travelling
Gardening
They're all true! I do those things in varying degrees. I list these as they enrich my life, and I feel that hobbies should broaden you as a person.
However, I was looking too narrow in my definition. I have other hobbies that I don't include because they don't allow me to grow as a person in my definition which is wrong. I also really enjoy spending time watching YouTube, playing video games and reading Reddit. While they're not enriching in the same way - playing Minecraft doesn't increase my ability to learn new things or make more money - it doesn't mean playing the game is a bad way to spend time. I'd often felt that when I turned off the computer or console that I didn't actually gain anything. I'm not richer, I'm not better at shooting or jumping, and until recently not many of my friends valued video games, so I couldn't have a conversation with them. These hobbies are clearly a waste of time.
Except, they aren't.
Sometimes you need a break. Sometimes you don't have to learn something. Sometimes the thing that you should learn is how to build a better house, or how to kill a pixelated polar bear in an ice biome in Minecraft. Certainly there's a line where too much of something isn't good. If playing Minecraft is taking over other parts of my life and making it difficult to do other things I enjoy, it's time to consider cutting back. And, I have to consider that hobbies will fade and come back as time progresses.
Right now, I really enjoy playing piano, reading, travelling and playing Minecraft.
Two years ago, I was playing a lot of Path of Exile, practicing Tae Kwon Do, travelling, gardening and reading financial forums in Reddit.
Hobbies change, and having some that don't produce immediate results, or results at all, aren't bad. I likely will continue with my current set until something else pops up and replaces some or all of the time I devote to a particular hobby. Maybe in two years I'll be into music composition heavily again, while playing a different video game.
Playing Piano
Playing Flute
Music Composition
Photography
Reading
Travelling
Gardening
They're all true! I do those things in varying degrees. I list these as they enrich my life, and I feel that hobbies should broaden you as a person.
However, I was looking too narrow in my definition. I have other hobbies that I don't include because they don't allow me to grow as a person in my definition which is wrong. I also really enjoy spending time watching YouTube, playing video games and reading Reddit. While they're not enriching in the same way - playing Minecraft doesn't increase my ability to learn new things or make more money - it doesn't mean playing the game is a bad way to spend time. I'd often felt that when I turned off the computer or console that I didn't actually gain anything. I'm not richer, I'm not better at shooting or jumping, and until recently not many of my friends valued video games, so I couldn't have a conversation with them. These hobbies are clearly a waste of time.
Except, they aren't.
Sometimes you need a break. Sometimes you don't have to learn something. Sometimes the thing that you should learn is how to build a better house, or how to kill a pixelated polar bear in an ice biome in Minecraft. Certainly there's a line where too much of something isn't good. If playing Minecraft is taking over other parts of my life and making it difficult to do other things I enjoy, it's time to consider cutting back. And, I have to consider that hobbies will fade and come back as time progresses.
Right now, I really enjoy playing piano, reading, travelling and playing Minecraft.
Two years ago, I was playing a lot of Path of Exile, practicing Tae Kwon Do, travelling, gardening and reading financial forums in Reddit.
Hobbies change, and having some that don't produce immediate results, or results at all, aren't bad. I likely will continue with my current set until something else pops up and replaces some or all of the time I devote to a particular hobby. Maybe in two years I'll be into music composition heavily again, while playing a different video game.
Comments
Post a Comment