The fact cannot be denied that life today is travelling on the fast lane. We have no time to think of things that matter least to us. And yet, we cannot deny the human urge to have some room for self. Continuation of hobbies is proof enough. And we have become selective about our hobbies, too. They should not only be unerringly according to our feasibility, but should also be worth boasting about. Such is the human desire for excellence at its best.
Just as there are billions of stars, so there are many hobbies. But a few are those which are never talked about, specially when time could serve them best, and the whole experience could be most rewarding. One such pursuit is ‘minding’. Analogies are never a good tool in ideal circumstances, but used effectively in idle circumstances, they can produce miraculous results.
Minding is the hobby that accentuates an individual to use the vast, unweeded plane of the mind in a way that satisfies his being. Simply, it is the art of using brains effectively. It compels one to see the harmony between thoughts and actions, the anticipation, and the flowering and fruiting of one’s efforts.
But the art of using brains is best learnt when minding is done not only frequently, but also with unconditional longing. This is true of all other hobbies. In music, too, when rhythm loses it brevity, suspicions get excited, and if not relieved soon, loses its ability to impart meaning. A magnolia tree with its incense hanging upon the boughs can be unattractive if not handled and trained frequently.
And depth, too, matters in this hobby. Chess players have frequently trespassed into the realm of minding, but they essentially engage in a different hobby altogether when, surprisingly, kings and queens are merely pawns in their hands. Just as thoughts are made productive in chess, or in cards for that matter, so minding gives thoughts shape, form and provides space to mature and nourish.
One is blessed with the liberty to dream, to construct and to create. It is the beginning of the ingenious impulse that later travels through the palette of a painter, through the depths and colours of ideas. It is the pursuit of such glory that surpasses the peace of a meditator. It is the lifeblood of a poet when he sits among the flora and country green.
It has a contribution to make to the world when weighed against other pursuits. We had been trying to preserve wildlife and rightly so. We are concerned about the dangers of missing our companions on the existential plane. We preserve them because we want to make the world a comfortable place to live in, with all its wonders preserved for ages to come. Just as planting one tree makes earth a greener and a better place to live, so minding one’s intellect makes this world wiser.
One must, however, be careful how much time and energy one spends on a hobby for precaution is due for minding as well. It is good as long as it is calculated and weighed. Those who ascend the popular steps of their hobby through dedication and commitment reach its height. They set examples for others to master the art and contribute to human growth. This hobby is of fundamental importance because we believe all depends upon reason and intuition, the residing place being the mind itself. Mind it, minding one’s language, minding sheep, and minding one’s affair are totally different from minding one’s mind.
What should concern most to ex-minders and minders is the ever-increasing loss in their number. The hobby is not held dear by many, and in such times when even clocks have started moving fast, such neglect can be fatal. A lot of harm has been done to a few hobbies that are rare and not promoted well. Philistines are ever on the increase because of apathetic neglect of humanities. It is no surprise that many people, save some old couples and certain loners, regard gardening a hobby for old, senile individuals who have nothing to do. Such disregard for nature has done a lot of harm, apart from accommodating a sense of being disconnected.
Those who feel the inclination to choose a new hobby, which is not only worth boasting about but also essential and indispensable, must pull up their socks and learn the art of minding, primarily by doing it themselves, though experience and study of others. Just as one should keep oneself away from beehives and nests, one should keep away from writing gibberish. Worse still, xenophobes and acrophobics are not rare, and so mindophobics can be found in abundance, too. Only the mindful find the subtle balance which gropes in the multitude of words, actions and thoughts.
The fact cannot be denied that life today is travelling on the fast lane. We have no time to think of things that matter least to us. And yet, we cannot deny the human urge to have some room for self. Continuation of hobbies is proof enough. And we have become selective about our hobbies, too. They should not only be unerringly according to our feasibility, but should also be worth boasting about. Such is the human desire for excellence at its best.
