Hobbies Count

I appreciated this post by Mike Monteiro on hobbies. The idea that ‘hobby’ is capitalism’s word is intriguing to me, and I think I’m mostly convinced of the truth of that assertion. Certainly, the points Monteiro makes about how we live within an economic system that prevents us from making a living doing things we love — things that matter to us — strikes a chord for me. It echoes some of the points that David Graeber made in Bullshit Jobs: the idea that noble pursuits like nursing or teaching shouldn’t be done for the money, that the job is it’s own reward, and that therefore these professions should not be well-compensated.