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 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 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 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 laborer, tired out with a hard day's work, a seat in a park or a lecture on aesthetics. It is no use inviting the politician or the business man, who has been worried about affairs of state or business all day, to attend a concert or the ballet. It is no use telling the bored, unemployed youth, "Go and play football." The right kind of spiritual food is just as necessary for one class as for another.
Those who are toiled to death are too busy to enjoy life. Those who are worried to death are too nervous to enjoy life. Those who are bored to death are too listless to enjoy life. There is no country in the world where one can not find people who would be happy to spend the rest of their lives in a village if they could. And yet, no country in the world is free from the scourge of poverty. Poverty is like a disease that is constantly spreading. It is not enough to have a good income. One must also have a good way of spending it. There are people who earn a great deal of money, but they are not happy because they do not know how to spend it. There are also people who have very little money, but they are happy because they know how to spend it.
In a world that is constantly changing, the idea of a pastoral idyll is an illusion. The idea of a simple life, free from worry and poverty, is an illusion. The idea of a life where one can do as one pleases, without any restrictions, is an illusion. The idea of a life where one can be completely happy, without any unhappiness, is an illusion. But these illusions are not without value. They give us hope. They give us something to look forward to. They give us the strength to go on.
