Hobbies

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2007
Our hobbies are important. In my view of life and theology, what we do with our spare time matters to our community, as well as to our body-mind-spirit lives.

For the past several years my hobby has been, in my humble opinion, good for the planet, the community I live in, and for my whole self. The project is completed. I’ve been thinking, wondering, poking around, looking for another, or next, hobby.

I have completed the conversion of two little pickup trucks to run on battery power. Electric vehicles. 100% electric EVs. The projects have been fun, very creative, challenging, and rewarding for me. My current (pun-able, but not intended) EV is our daily commuter and is humming along reliably.

What to do next has been a question of mine for the past few months. If I convert another vehicle I may get into the rut of being a converter mechanic. When that happens the fun diminishes as the routine increases. To my mind it then becomes less of a hobby.

My ancestors were railroad workers. I’ve enjoyed trains throughout my life, both full-size working behemoths and model trains. Perhaps as an adult I could begin the challenge of creating my own model train set up in the basement. I have the space for it, most of the tools, some of the skills including enjoying creating simple electrical circuits. This sounds like a promising new hobby-challenge-adventure.

The negative side to it is the answer to my question, “What good does it do for our community, society, or culture?” Having a model railroad display in my basement does not seem to be something that will benefit the community.

I am presently contemplating, chewing on, turning over in my head, whether this possible new hobby fits my view of life, theology, and needs for a hobby. The challenge of simply deciding about this possibility becomes an activity that occupies my mind. The deciding is almost a hobby in and of itself. Or at least, that is how I am envisioning it now.

I do not find a record in Scripture of Jesus’ hobby. It seems that in his time on earth people did not have hobbies. What does that tell me about my contemplating a hobby? That Jesus didn’t have electrical power in his community does not mean that we can not have it in ours. Given our technological age I think that we can use technology to improve our lives and the lives of those around us more so than did the faithful in the first century of the Christian era. Having a hobby is probably okay. But, can, should my hobby feed only me without feeding the community in which I live?

More pondering needed.