We Need a Hobby
A job isn't a hobby
You need a hobby. We all do. I realized how important hobbies were when I noticed how many people believe they need a job to feel fulfilled. Work is not a hobby. It shouldn’t be a hobby. Whether you work for someone else or are self-employed, whatever it is that you do to earn a living: it’s not a hobby. It’s work. And what I’m going to say now is not a popular opinion, but I genuinely believe work should be avoided at all cost. There is nothing virtuous about working hard.
Everyone is bored all the time
Most people nowadays can’t entertain themselves. They need an external force to entertain them. Some of these external forces are harmless: meeting up with friends, spending time with your spouse or your parents. But everyone eventually has some form of downtime without people nearby. That’s when most people nowadays get bored out of their minds.
Why do you think doom scrolling is such a big deal nowadays? Why has social media exploded over such a short time span? Because people don’t have hobbies. They work, go home, get bored and then go back to work.
I see this with the people in my own surroundings. All they do is doom scroll all day, bored out of their minds, dreading to go back to work after a wasted weekend. I saw this with my students too when I was still working as a high school history teacher: students complained about being bored all the time, yet did nothing to ever improve their situation. All they did was doom scroll all day during their weekend.
And it’s not just the people in my surroundings. Many don’t mind that the retirement age is being raised in their own country because “what else would they be doing with their time?”. There are even people out there who made enough money to retire but choose not to, or retire for a couple of years and then return to the workforce because they don’t like retirement.
The Rich don't need to retire
When rich people choose not to retire I genuinely get it: they don’t have to perform hard labor. They tend to be the ones at the top, enjoying their social circles while making plenty of money to not work hard but smart. Their job keeps them in the game without the tough labor that comes with it for the normal working man. But a regular Joe not quitting his job when he gets the chance because he’ll get bored during retirement? That’s something I’ll never understand.
A hobby doesn’t need to be productive as long as it’s not destructive. You don’t need to make money with your hobby either. That’s hustle culture nonsense which won’t bring you any joy in the long-term.
You need purpose
What is important is that you like your hobby. It should be something you look forward to doing. I’ll give you an example out of my own life:
I like learn new things. I am, for example, currently learning Japanese and Spanish, while also doing my best to learn how to code. I also like playing video games from time to time, I like to read non-fiction books about history, money and philosophy. In the evenings I like to wind down with an old sitcom like Married With Children, 3rd Rock From the Sun, Seinfeld, Frasier and the likes. I like to be active too and go for walks in the forest almost daily. I have more hobbies then these, but I think you get the point. My days are filled, whether I have a job or not.
And that’s the key: you need hobbies. You need to entertain yourself with things you’re passionate about. Hobbies give a sense of purpose and we as humans are purpose-driven creatures. Now I am fully aware that hobbies alone are not enough to be your sole purpose, but that’s why we have dreams we should work towards achieving. But hobbies make life fun. Something a job can’t do. Because having to earn an income through labor, whether that’s a job or self-employment, take away your freedom, while hobbies give this freedom back.
Conclusion
So please, take up a hobby or two. If you don’t know what to do, just try something you might believe is remotely fun. Eventually something will click and it’ll enhance your life. A hobby should not replace your dreams, but it can give you a small purpose while working towards your larger goals in life.
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