Success vs. Joy
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I Would Rather Do Than Know
At times, when I’m alone in a room waiting for my match to begin, I might switch on the television set. Even then, I would watch, say, 20 minutes of a football game or a few music videos and then switch the set off.
The kind of entertainment that a medium such as television provides is external in nature. It cannot be compared to the joy one gets from actions that you make happen yourself. I often tell my 13-year-old son, “do not be a passive person receiving too much entertainment through TV. Try and see less TV and instead do something that will provide entertainment through your own efforts instead of merely receiving it.”
Unless absolutely required, I am not willing to go out of my way to spend hours gathering information. Information clogs my mind and leaves little space for the stillness of mind that allows me my equanimity. I often get a feeling that my conversation skills are limited. I am not well acquainted with all that is considered newsworthy. I do not avidly pore over all the pages of a newspaper. At social gatherings, I often find myself just listening to what others have to say. I still don’t feel inadequate.
I listen to a lot of music, especially music that is soothing and serene. Relaxation is perhaps something more than entertainment. Relaxation basically means spending time with myself, whereas I tend to associate entertainment with spending time with others or something external.