Interest! (Non-finance term)

 After a certain age, interest is mostly considered as a dreaded word after taking umpteen loans, credit cards, and other borrowings. I would like to share my experience about the other 'interest' - 'the feeling of wanting to know/have or learn about something or someone'.

People usually complain about unfulfilled wishes/interests. Trust me, having the pain of unfulfilled interest is better than having no interest. When life frustrates you and tests you to the core, we usually attain this stage momentarily, where everything in the world looks silly and find no interest in anything. Nature has nicely weaved our minds and surroundings. After a few reasonably good instances, our mind will again start hovering again towards the same or increased list of interests, unless there is big enlightenment obtained under a bodhi tree.

Our interests drift so easily over time and age. If you ask any person about the interests of his/her previous stage or future stage, it will generally look menial or frivolous. And, the interests that belong to that age group look like the most prominent thing in the world. For example, if you ask a kid about their future interests towards the opposite sex, job or money, he simply laughs at it. The same would be the response if you ask about the same interests to an old-aged person who passed through the journey. That is the beauty of interest, where it keeps on changing but makes sure, it maintains its prominence in everyone's heart.

The penchant a kid has towards toys in early childhood doesn't exist when he/she moves to middle childhood, where interest is more towards playing sports, hanging out with friends. The same interest doesn't exist anymore when the person grows into adolescence, where new interests are on video games, boyfriend/girlfriend, music, art, cracking good competitive exams, etc. Again, the same doesn't exist anymore after becoming a Young man/woman, where the new interests lie in securing handsomely paid jobs, luxurious living, dating partners, etc. Now, comes the Middle-aged man/woman, like me where the person must have been married or blessed with a kid or two. At this stage, the interests lie in buying own house (even if it is on loan with 'interest'), career progression or some people have interest in getting married or have stable married life or begetting a kid. Next comes old age, where interests would be in getting children's marriage done (if the kid turns out to be dumbos and can't find his/her own mate), upkeep their health, and ensure secured recurring income.

In this cycle, there is a villain called spirituality/philosophical mindset. If this bug bites a person's mind, then the interests slowly start evaporating, including the interests of that age group. He would only be left with doing the act as a responsibility or as a conscious act of materialistic enjoyment without any attachment. With this mindset, the person lives in attachment with detachment and lives in pure bliss.

So, ponder over this journey of interests over age and consider what could be the right way to nurture interest.