A gifted American psychologist has said, "Worry is a spasm of the emotion; the mind catches hold of something and will not let it go." It is useless to argue with the mind in this condition. The stronger the will, the more futile the task. One can only gently insinuate something else into its convulsive grasp. And if this something else is rightly chosen, if it is really attended by the illumination of another field of interest, gradually, and often quite swiftly, the old undue grip relaxes and the process of recuperation and repair begins.
The cultivation of a hobby and new forms of interest is therefore a policy of the first importance to a public man. But this is not a business that can be undertaken in a day or swiftly improvised by a mere command of the will. The growth of alternative mental interests is a long process. The seeds must be carefully chosen; they must fall on good ground; they must be sedulously tended, if the vivifying fruits are to be at hand when needed.
To be really happy and really safe, one ought to have at least two or three hobbies, and they must all be real. It is no use starting late in life to say: "I will take an interest in this or that." Such an attempt only aggravates the strain of mental effort. A man may acquire great knowledge of topics unconnected with his daily work, and yet get hardly any benefit or relief. It is no use doing what you like; you have got to like what you do. Broadly speaking, human beings may be divided into three classes: those who are toiled to death, those who are worried to death, and those who are bored to death. It is no use offering the manual labourer, tired out with a hard day's work, the chance of playing a game of football or baseball. It is no use inviting the politician or the professional or business man, who has been working or worrying about serious things for six days, to work or worry about trifling things at the weekend.
As for the unfortunate people who can neither toil nor worry, right in the middle of one of their periodic ongosings into boredom, no earthly use can be made of them by anybody. In most cases, the so - called hobbies of the average person are really more like habits. For example, one man's hobby is reading, another's is fishing, another's is gardening, another's is playing the piano. But if you were to ask these people how much time they spend on their hobbies, you would be surprised to find that they spend hardly any time at all. They have the habit of reading, fishing, gardening or playing the piano, but they do not really have the hobby. In fact, they are so busy with their daily work that they have no time to develop a real hobby.
A real hobby is an absorbing pursuit outside one's daily work. It is something that one can lose oneself in. It is not something that one does just to kill time. A real hobby gives one a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. It is something that one can be proud of. A real hobby can also be a great source of relaxation and rejuvenation.
So, if you want to be really happy and really safe, start early in life to develop a real hobby. Choose something that you are really interested in. Do not choose something just because it is fashionable or because other people are doing it. Develop your hobby slowly but surely. Do not expect too much too soon. And do not give up too easily. If you do these things, you will find that your hobby will become a great source of happiness and safety in your life.