Look After Your Mind – Enthusiasm
The American naturalist Henry David Thoreau felt that ‘None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm’. Originally the word had a religious connotation, coming from the Greek meaning ‘to be inspired or possessed by a god’ later taking on the more general sense of being inspired. Certainly inspiration and enthusiasm are linked. Allowing a revitalising energy to flow through us, giving us confidence and focus to tackle whatever task we have set our hearts on.
Most if not all children are naturally curious. Search online for children+enthusiasm and you’ll find countless references to sites that not only reinforce this belief but offer a raft of techniques and activities for cultivating it; so important when life’s problems and the sometimes tedious drudgery of school can serve to dampen it.
I feel blessed that my own enthusiasm found focus in writing when I was a child. I remember a book of hobbies that my parents bought me filled with short articles about dozens of pastimes. All written with enthusiasm by a range of authors. Many of the hobbies failed to grab my interest, but astronomy and writing appealed and, in retrospect, when I decided to take them up, proved to be life changing.
In a book called ‘Learning in Depth’, the Irish philosopher Kieran Egan suggests focussing on a topic chosen by a child early on in their education and cultivating it right through into higher education. Egan maintains that making a little time in the curriculum to feed and guide the child’s interest means that by the time they graduate they are likely to be a world-leading expert on that subject that could well form the basis for a lifelong career. It’s a wonderful, uplifting vision. Though the cynic in me wonders if at governmental level the idea will ever be implemented. At the moment, the emphasis is on covering a broad range of subjects which in itself is reasonable unless taken too far. The American psychologist Howard Gardner states bluntly that ‘coverage is the enemy of understanding’. While educationalist John Abbott feels that the curriculum is ‘half an inch deep and half a mile wide’.
However, the spark of enthusiasm can be struck at any age and even as adults we face life’s trials and tribulations. Giving time to a treasured hobby or project more than ‘takes our mind off things’. Iit increases our energy, boosts our wellbeing. Causes us to re-evaluate our priorities and may just lead life in a new and fascinating direction. As the writer and lecturer Dale Carnegie said, ‘Today is life – the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto.’
Steve Bowkett.
Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital’s Charity Barn Dance
