What is a hobby? Why do we have them in the first place!? Who was the first person with a hobby?
“Hey Mark, what are you doing?”
“Nothing, just collecting twigs.”
“Why?”
“Oh I have a collection. Back in the cave.”
“Why?”
“……”
“……”
“I like twigs. No two twigs are the same. Why are you looking at me like that? Fuck you man. You won’t understand. One day I will find someone who loves collecting twigs just like I do! You hear me?”
See? Hobbies are weird man! We just live in a world where they are normalized and often encouraged. Take for example, writing. Practically speaking, why would you pen your thoughts when the total number of people who will read it will sometimes be zero (if it is a diary) and hardly cross double digits even if it is public on the internet!? It doesn’t make sense from a professional perspective unless high quality writing is part of your job. You got to take out precious weekend/ travelling time to come up with something even remotely readable and worst of all, it leaves you mentally exhausted.
So why do we do it? Why do we paint, sing, dance, play the guitar, collect stamps, coins or twigs like Mark did? Why do we do anything at all which doesn’t pay us and doesn’t necessarily give us recognition either? Also why are hobbies so unique? If you get ten people in a room, why is it that seven out of those ten will have hobbies that aren’t even remotely related to each other! I think I know why but I will get to that later.
I am sure you must have come across a few people whose hobbies are absolutely bloody retarded……according to you!
Bird watching? What the fuck is wrong with this man?
Video games? You’re past twenty five, grow up!
Scuba diving? What’s wrong with bath tubs?
Hobbies are like kinks. They’re deeply personal, give us a weird satisfaction and there are few things as amazing as finding someone who is eager to partake in the same! They form bonds between people and make you not want to deal with those who shame you for them.
At 25, I feel hobbies are more important than ever. Your career? Moh Maya. Your parents? Too busy forcing you to marry/ buy a house and become an EMI slave. Your friends? Moving abroad/ getting married any moment. Your girlfriend/ boyfriend? Volatile to say the least in most cases. What is a man supposed to do when he comes back home after three hours of travelling and tries his best to not open his laptop? Talk to mom and tell her how my day was? Sorry, too cool for that. Talk to younger brother? Sorry, I am allergic to fat people. Talk to dad? He doesn’t want that either! I need a hobby! I read books, articles, watch videos on YouTube and hate-post on Twitter about Jose Mourinho and dabbing frauds like Pogba and Lingard.
But are these hobbies? I don’t think so. A hobby according to me should also be a talent. The outcome must be impressive or at least something to be proud of. It must add to your skill set and force your close friends to mention it in their verbal bio about you when they introduce you to new people!
“This is Mark. Only twenty five and great at hunting boars and shitting on plants. Helps out the clan whenever called upon. Also collects twigs.”
“He does what with twigs?”
“I don’t know man, just take it up with him. Mark, say Hi!”
I know guys who come home after twelve hour work days and play the guitar for fifteen minutes before sleeping. What does it achieve? Fifteen minutes of the guitar/ painting/ singing will sort your head after a heavy duty work day? Apparently it does! And that’s the thing about hobbies. Not only are they part of our identity, they are also fantastic tools to navigate through life! Sad? Indulge in your hobby. Happy? Indulge in your hobby. Bored of handing over personal data to Zuckerberg? Indulge in your hobby.
Hobbies challenge us. They build our confidence and make us more comfortable with ourselves. Also, they reveal a great deal about the person you are dealing with. Painter? Reflective, sensitive and creative. Singer? Energetic, tenacious, confident. Writer? Huge penis.
Anyway, the takeaway is, don’t take your hobby lightly. It is more important than you give it credit for. Its significance shall dawn upon you when you sit and start jotting down what really matters in life. Why were you born? What will be your legacy? How will people remember you? Mark was hated and looked down upon for collecting twigs in his time but his twig collection is immortal. We are still talking about it!
So pick up the guitar, dust off the keyboard, Instagram that stamp collection, hide that coin collection from Modi, sing at the top of your voice! Rekindle the romance with your hobby and grow as a person! Whatever be your hobby! Photography, skateboarding, cooking or even skating! It doesn’t matter how good or bad you are. What matters is if you do it.
Pol Ke Bol! 