A hobby or a vocation?
By Mario Covalski
Looking through my old editorials, trying to decide which topic to deal with this month, the idea suddenly came to me. In fact, it was there since time ago, but as usual, human beings can’t see the wood though being inside.
During many years, in a certain way, several friends, coworkers… etc have been asking me… what for?, I mean, what do we make modeling for?. Note, please, that I don’t speak only about plastic modeling but to modeling in general, covering all the branches of scale modeling. Usually, modelers who make this question, don’t know the difference between somebody keen on flying an RC model airplane or one who glues plastic.
Don’t deceive yourselves, I’ve never find a right answer to give, or at least one that has satisfied me completely, and in spite of that, I went on ahead with my activity, every time with more passion, pouring to it more hours a day…etc.
It’s typical of us, human beings, to address ourselves to something with passion…without knowing why. Well, most of us will probably think now that he knows the reason why he’s carrying on with his hobby, I also used to think that, but I believe I was wrong.
Some days ago, speaking about this with a young, brilliant and future psychologist, I received such a simple, straight …and obvious answer, that I can’t conceive how I didn’t understand that, at least 20 years ago. The answer she gave me to the following question…”Why do we devote with so much passion to this?” was…BECAUSE THIS IS A VOCATION, NOT A HOBBY..
Is it possible that just a second is enough for somebody to understand such an important part of his life?, of course not, it’s the result of gathering information during years and when you least expect it, an event or a saying throw light on it.
To build scale models, is for most of us a vocation, and we devote our life to it, so much so, that you will find modelers spending years on carrying out a project…don’t you agree with me?, let’s think about an alternative hobby, something in which you are interested in…would you pour out thousands of hours or spend a lot of money on it?, of course not, because it’s just a hobby, to accomplish in your spare time, it’s not a vocation.
No matter the profession you chose time ago, when you were younger, now you may be a doctor, a lawyer…etc, nevertheless, if you think continually about plastic modeling and you put money and thousands of hours into this…then, my friend, you have a very clearly- defined vocation about it
There are people who think and live for modeling, so much so, that they end earning their leaving with that activity, and one just do that, when embraces a vocation.
From this point of view, many things got clearer in my mind, I feel a great sense of relief when I think that I’m not a freak, wasting time, and I can really see the difference between those who feel like me, and others who only….have a hobby.
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