- Teach something
- Create something
- Repair something
- Improve something
Think back to the days before television. People worked hard all day long, producing food, cutting wood, cooking, hunting, building…it was a full time job to survive and thrive. In the evenings, by candlelight, they could stop and put their feet up for a while. Books were not widely available like they are now, so families passed the time by performing stitchery, carving, making furniture, mending things and creating items that made their lives more pleasant and beautiful. Sometimes a family member would read aloud, play an instrument or sing. Time was of value and not to be wasted, and there was rarely money to spare on an “evening out”.
Studies have shown that watching television induces low alpha waves in the human brain. Alpha waves are brainwaves between 8 to 12 HZ. and are commonly associated with … brain states associated with suggestibility…Too much time spent in the low Alpha wave state caused by TV can cause unfocused daydreaming and inability to concentrate….Advertisers have known about this for a long time and they know how to take advantage of this passive, suggestible, brain state of the TV viewer. There is no need for an advertiser to use subliminal messages. The brain is already in a receptive state, ready to absorb suggestions, within just a few seconds of the television being turned on. All advertisers have to do is flash a brand across the screen, and then attempt to make the viewer associate the product with something positive.
Productive hobbies not only improve your brain – they can save you money and better your chances for thriving in a post-SHTF world. The ability to create or repair something will improve your standard of living and provide you with valuable skills for barter should an economic collapse occur. Time spent teaching your children these skills will, in turn, pass down arts that would otherwise be lost to generations of the future, while helping your child become a more critical thinker and problem solver.
Following are some examples of productive hobbies.
Reading
Sewing clothing, curtains and soft furnishings
Knitting and crocheting
Carving
Repairing broken items
Mending
Darning socks
Building furniture
Making pottery
Cooking and baking
Writing
Drawing and creating art
Playing an Instrument
Singing
Archery
Making cards
Making jewelry
Fletching
Gunsmithing
Making ammo
Welding and soldering
Learning a language
Doing a puzzle
Playing a word, math or strategy game
Marksmanship
Exercise
Gardening
Preserving food
Practicing outdoor skills like hiking, camping and foraging
Source: http://survivalsherpa.wordpress.com/2013/02/04/the-virtue-of-industry/
