This chapter explores how engaging in something purely for your own fulfillment provides balance, stability, and a sense of identity beyond survival.
Get a Hobby
They Want You to Forget What Makes You Feel Alive.
They will tell you that hobbies are trivial. They will tell you that there is no time for art, no purpose in music, no reason to pursue anything that does not generate money or serve the cause. They will make you believe that personal joys are selfish, that pleasure is wasteful, that there is too much to fight for to spend time on something as "frivolous" as a craft, a skill, or a private pursuit. They are wrong.
Your mind, your hands, your time are yours. What you do with them outside of obligation, outside of survival, outside of the demands of others—that is where you remain untouchable.
Why Personal Pursuits Are Essential to Survival
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It keeps you human. When the world feels like it is unraveling, something as simple as a book, a song, or a project can remind you that not everything has to be about survival.
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It makes you harder to break. If they strip you of work, home, status—what remains? The things you know, the things you create, the things that exist beyond their reach.
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It trains your mind for patience and discipline. A skill honed over time teaches you more than just technique teaches you how to commit, how to focus, how to improve.
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It gives you control. When you work on something for yourself, it is yours and yours alone, not dictated by authority, nor measured by productivity.
How to Cultivate a Private Pursuit Without Guilt
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Choose Something That Belongs to You Alone - It does not have to be practical. It does not have to be impressive. It just has to be yours. Something that no one can take away, something that does not rely on permission or approval.
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Protect It from Outside Expectations - Not everything has to be a side hustle. Not everything has to be monetized. Not everything has to have a goal beyond doing it because you love it. The moment you make it about results, you risk losing the joy in it.
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Make Time, Even When It Feels Impossible - It is easy to push aside personal pursuits when life feels overwhelming. But even ten minutes of something that brings you peace is better than nothing. Time spent on yourself is not wasted—it is invested.
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Use It as an Anchor - When the world feels chaotic, returning to something familiar, something of your own making, reminds you that not everything is outside your control. It is a tether to yourself, proof that you’re still you, no matter what happens.
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Never Let Them Convince You That Joy is a Luxury - To create, to build, to enjoy is not indulgence. It is resistance. A life stripped of passion, of curiosity, of learning is a life they own. Refusing to let go of what brings you joy is a refusal to let them take everything from you.
First Task: Reclaim a Personal Pursuit
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Choose one thing—reading, writing, music, art, gardening, crafting, studying, anything, and commit to it.
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Set aside time, no matter how small, to engage in it regularly.
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Do it without justification. Without expectation. Without needing a reason beyond because I want to.
"The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct."
— Carl Jung
Historical Reflection
Maria Sibylla Merian
Maria Sibylla Merian was never meant to be a scientist. In the 17th century, women were rarely encouraged to study science or pursue intellectual curiosity. But Maria had no interest in societal expectations—she was too busy watching caterpillars turn into butterflies. Long before she became a respected naturalist, she spent countless hours painting insects and plants, purely for the joy of observing their details. What began as a quiet hobby would later transform entomology, but in its earliest form, it was simply a source of personal delight.
As a child in Germany, Maria was captivated by nature. While others saw insects as pests, she saw tiny worlds of transformation. Without formal training, she collected caterpillars and studied their life cycles, meticulously documenting them in detailed illustrations. She spent hours sketching butterflies, beetles, and flowers, fascinated by their colors and forms. She recorded the stages of metamorphosis, not for science, but simply because she found it beautiful. She shared her drawings only with close friends and family, keeping them as personal treasures. Her early illustrations weren’t for publication, profit, or academic pursuit—they were her private way of engaging with the world.
As Maria grew older, her passion deepened. She never stopped drawing, collecting, and marveling at the insects that others ignored. Even after marriage and motherhood, she continued to fill notebooks with delicate watercolors of flowers, cocoons, and caterpillars. Her hobby was a retreat, a source of peace in a world where women had little autonomy. She saw nature not as a subject to conquer, but as a friend to observe quietly. She never needed permission to enjoy what she loved—she simply did it.
Years later, Maria’s private passion became something more. Her illustrations were recognized for their accuracy and beauty, leading her to travel to Suriname to study tropical insects. She became one of the first people to document insect metamorphosis in detail, revolutionizing entomology. But none of that was her original intent. Maria Sibylla Merian didn’t start painting insects to make history—she did it because it made her happy.
Not everything has to lead to a career, a cause, or a breakthrough. Doing something simply because you love it is reason enough. Private joys can shape a life, whether or not they ever shape the world. Maria found joy in quiet study, not in external recognition. She reminds us that hobbies don’t have to "lead somewhere"—they are valuable in their own right.