How many times have you ever sat down at the dinner table, been offered a delicious bowl of Blue Bell ice cream, and responded with, “Thanks, I really respect and appreciate Blue Bell, but it’s just not my thing.” If you have, shame on you. Trying to truly appreciate quality apart from enjoyment is impossible.
Moving from the woods of Alabama to one of the United States’ largest and most diverse metropolitan areas has transformed me as a human being. I meet someone intensely interested in something I’ve never heard of nearly everyday. One of the most impactful observations I’ve made about humanity since moving to Dallas is that people tend to be interested in things of quality—there’s something inherently well-done, good, or interesting about the things that shape our identities and dreams. Of course, all of us do some not-so-quality things—we have plenty of “guilty pleasures”—but we rarely root our identity in those interests. We consider people with moral systems that lack significant quality bad people. And, people with hobbies that lack quality are considered boring.
So I am utterly disgusted with myself for all of the times I’ve recognized quality in someone else’s interests without attempting to delve into them for myself. Quality makes us likable, interesting, and happier. We enjoy good music, art, science, movies, sports, and yet we quickly limit our enjoyment by saying something “isn’t for us” and refusing to broaden our horizons. Granted, our interests can't possibly include everything worth enjoying and exploring, but that should be an encouragement! The world has more to offer than we can even realize, often meaning that boredom has less of a leg to stand on than we give it credit for.
So what’s the best way to counter our apathy towards diversifying our interests? I think the best answer lies with our friendships. I never played many board games growing up—chess and Risk were about as far as I went. Since moving to Dallas, I’ve made friends whose chief leisure time consists of playing board games. I did not realize the ridiculous number of board games in the world…I, also, never realized how much fun they could be. I’ve found strategy, humor, and collaboration in board games that I had no previous experience with. It’s incredible. I’ve recently made a few friends into video games as well who have shown me equal merit in gaming. Others have revealed to me a passion for fantasy and sci-fi literature that I didn’t realize I had, which means more than you know to an English Literature major. I even tried sushi in the past year after church one day! (It really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be...).
Before this revelatory stage in my life, I limited myself purely to what I considered the “finer arts.” I was an arrogant jerk who thought that spending time listening to the same types of music (I'm a self-proclaimed music snob), reading the same kinds of books, playing my sports video games, and watching only certain kinds of movies were the only good ways to spend the time I had set aside for creativity and leisure. Nothing has been more humbling in my life than realizing how wrong I have been. And, it turns out that I just needed to listen to the people around me more. The path I naturally chose for my life limited my enjoyment, because I was an arrogant and immature kid who thought I had a monopoly on truth. The interests I had developed certainly were not poor, but they were terribly restrictive and alienating. I lied to myself believing I could respect other people’s interests without personally encountering the source of their interests for myself.
None of this is to say that you will not have interests that prevail over others, or that you are capable of appreciating all sorts of quality. But by actively taking steps to become more rounded individuals, we unlock some of our greatest treasures. Listening to a new type of music or trying a new board game involves no risk, only a potential reward. And while I still strongly encourage you to not mindlessly broaden your definition of quality, honestly believing that “bad” or poorly-done things do exist in the world, I can assure you with near certainty that your interests can be broadened. My challenge to you is not a chore! There’s more about life to be enjoyed than what you know, and if you live in a place as wonderful as I do, a simple walk downtown or an evening with a friend may reveal that to you. Remember, it'll always be more valuable and rewarding to challenge yourself than to lay around in contentment with your present identity.