Choose Your Hobbies Well

Choose your pleasures for yourself, and do not let them be imposed upon you.  Follow nature and not fashion: weigh the present enjoyment of your pleasures against the necessary consequences of them, and then let your own common sense determine your choice.

– Philip Dormer Stanhope, Lord Chesterfield, Letters to his Son on the Art of Becoming a Man of the World and a Gentleman, 1747

If there ever was a test of how well we enjoy the bare bones of our lifestyle, it is the social distancing required by the Covid 19 pandemic. The reflected pleasures of companionship have all but disappeared, and our true sentiments towards our daily activities are quickly becoming apparent. Finally, we will discover if we enjoy what we do with our time.

The truth is that our pastimes are often not our own; they are borrowed from from our community. It is natural to do what our peers do because we relish social interaction.

I don’t disparage the idea of choosing hobbies based on what our friends or family enjoy. At times, it is necessary to participate in the interests of others. Doing something that is ‘out of our box’ is a mentally healthy behavior that expands our knowledge and promotes tolerance towards others.

For example, I have gladly (I’m only being somewhat dishonest here) sat through many sporting events, examining the structural design of the arena, watching the pretty sunsets, or enjoying the enthusiastic response of my companions to some action on the field. (Or is it a court?)

However, to pursue the interests of others exclusively, at the expense of your own enjoyment, is a dangerous business. You will discover this truth, now the only company you have is yourself. If, in the past, you have simply echoed the enthusiasm of others in the selection of your hobbies, how will you continue to enjoy those activities without encouragement?

In this time of isolation, I hope you are pursuing your genuine interests – or discovering them for the first time. The only person you have to please is yourself. You are alone; you are free. No false ideas of what should interest you, based on your gender or age or race or culture, can limit you. So, try something new. See if you can tap dance to a symphony. Sing outside the bath, and initiate a hoarding rush on earplugs in the neighborhood. Try cooking German sausage in an Asian soup. Learn to speak Mongolian in your eighth decade. Why not? No-one is watching.

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