Can interests define us? Yvonne Wennerlid Business Today Global  

Before I go into detail about my interests, I want to mention that language, vocabulary, reading comprehension, communication, writing, and reading in general are major, important parts of my life that I’m passionate about. Ever since I was a child, it was important to my mother that we speak properly and correctly. Without language, life is difficult. Sure, we can use body language, but that can be tricky, considering that a gesture or movement can mean something completely different in another culture. 

When my sister and I didn’t understand a word, Mom would ask us to look up the word ourselves in the dictionary that sat on the shelf in our TV room. To this day, I remember what it looked like and can still feel the texture of the paper. That’s where the foundation for my sister’s and my interest in language was laid. My sister works as a translator and has been doing so for over two decades. Just think of all the unexpected fields she’s learned about and how she’s expanded her vocabulary and knowledge through her work. 

Interests—what are they? How important is it to define what they mean? For me, it’s essential and fundamental to go back to the origin of the word interests, and from there we can begin to reflect more deeply on this. 

The concept of “interest” has its roots in the Latin word *interesse*, which meant roughly “to be concerned with” or “to be of importance,” and began to take on the broader meaning of something that drives or engages a person during the 17th century. The term “hobby” came later, from “hobby-horse,” and during the 18th and 19th centuries took on the meaning of an activity or pastime that one engages in during one’s free time. As leisure time became a more distinct part of modern society during the 19th century, hobbies and personal interests became increasingly associated with what people chose to do on their own outside of work and obligations. 

Two questions to consider before I continue. 

Interests are not necessarily what we consume. They may be what we are willing to actively engage in. 

Have we begun to confuse consuming something with being interested in it? 

If you think about your own interests and how they may have changed over the years, where and how did your first interests begin to take root? As children, we often follow what’s available at home, in preschool or similar settings. Our parents showed us the way and took us to different places to let us discover the world. Perhaps. It’s not always like that. Now it’s not about traveling, but perhaps about understanding what’s available in the fruit section at the grocery store and following the season’s harvest. Maybe there are crossword magazines lying on a sideboard at home. Dad has a passion for collecting stamps and old cameras, and Mom likes to embroider and dance. 

Now I want to get straight to the point: if everything in the world were to shut down—no internet, no electricity, no cars, or anything like that—how would you manage? Could the hobbies you’ve devoted years to actually help you in such situations? Have so-called interests been forced upon us as life has become so simplified that everything is served to us on a silver platter? For me, that’s actually the case, and I’m writing this with the intention of sparking reflection on this aspect of life. 

Let’s say I love spending time in the woods, camping, and cooking over an open fire. Fixing flat tires on bikes, organizing my storage shed, reading maps, or making my own jam. If I say instead that I prefer writing poetry, watching comedy movies, or sorting books by color, would I be able to get by on my own if all of that were to disappear? 

I like to take things to the extreme, and that’s exactly what I’m doing now: what if your interests didn’t exist, were illegal, or were considered immoral? How would you cope, and how would you define yourself? It’s certainly interesting to ask lots of questions about topics and approach them from every conceivable angle. That’s how we come to understand what we do with our time, and it’s one of the most essential things we should do. At the same time, we need to reevaluate what we believe defines us.

Some people hold their interests in high regard and let them govern their entire lives, allowing them to define their identity and feeling important simply by devoting time to them. Sometimes this can seem strange, get out of hand, and go too far, provoking odd thoughts and feelings in the people around them. The driving force behind it can stem from many things: pressure from parents, family, and social circles, or society’s expectations of us. 

What do our various interests say about us? Many stereotypical ideas influence us, just as many preconceived notions do. Of course, this depends on cultural factors as well, but I’ll have to base my observations on the part of the world I know and live in—that is, the Western world. Though even there, there are major differences, but I’ll leave that aside. The focus here is on how quickly we allow ourselves to be defined by our interests. 

Are interests something we need? Do they make us more energetic, happier, more emotionally stable, and more hopeful? Perhaps interests drain unnecessary energy from us if we’re forced to pursue certain interests that don’t really feel right? They’re imposed on us and feel contrived. So, pursuing our interests has both its pros and cons. Or does it? What do we learn from them? Who do we connect with, how, when, and why? What can this lead to? 

I don’t have any research or statistics to draw on; instead, I conduct my own analysis by observing what those around me spend their time on and how slavishly some people live according to a lifestyle they may not actually enjoy. The reason may be that they find it difficult to let go of old, ingrained patterns and believe they know that this is precisely what makes them feel good and that they know what’s best for them. How can we know that unless we try something else? 

Can I draw any conclusions about this whole idea of interests? Do we consume and use things just for the sake of it, believing that we’re engaged in something? How can we ensure that what we devote our time to benefits and nurtures us? So what is it that can do that? 

In fact, I’m choosing to leave much of this up to the reader. My intention with this text was to raise questions and encourage the reader to start rethinking and reevaluating their habits, routines, interests, and how we allow these to define us. Because if we take it to the extreme, how prepared are you to cope if life suddenly changes and you no longer have access to what you believe to be your identity and your interests?