Today my friend suggested to attend a couple of shows - one with horses & another one with ice-skating.
And thoughts like this came to me:
These are just showcases of people’s talents. The only thing I get when I attend these shows is being amazed by what they’re capable of doing. Does it inspire me to try doing what they do? No. Does it teach me anything? No. Do I get something out of their performances that I can apply to my life - learn any skills? No.
Whatever I need to learn from it, I learn without attending: it is possible to make money by doing what you love & what is fun for you to do. Also - my life’s work can be about getting better at some particular skill, testing & training my body, and I can be paid for doing this. Wow! This is jackpot!
However, to me this is not enough. I want my work to bring more value than fun & bringing amusement & inspiration to others.
Am I judging? Seems like it… it’s just not what I choose to do, it’s not aligned with my values.
So I don’t want to support these shows, don’t want to invest into others' fun - I don’t want to attend these shows, I don't seek entertainment.. I’m more interested in & entertained by what I’m doing myself & bringing more than entertainment to people.
I also realise that showcasing one’s talents for free isn’t the way, for there’re organisational costs, the requirement for the audience to commit to coming to the performance. Paying for watching others showing off makes sense. But it’s not worth MY time & money.
UNLESS, I look at it like at philanthropy.
I can support others’ choice to work on improving their certain skills, achieving some personally important goals & amusing their audience by doing what they love doing (instead of doing a job where they’d be unhappy or instead of being entitled ‘beggars’).
And I believe, this is the best kind of ‘charity’ - when we support others’ work & desire to get better at something, instead of supporting others’ inaction & victimhood mentality.
So in a broader sense, there’s a lot of value in these shows - the more shows like this exist, it means there’re more people who are doing what they love - payment for attending these shows is a contribution into the society’s general health & happiness.
Do I want to attend the shows now? Now I’m not answering a straightforward “no”.
***
Btw, I wouldn’t say the same about music shows - listening to live music can bring more direct value than just observing & being amazed by someone's uniques skills, in my opinion.
With my music album, for example, my goal is to help people set themselves up for happy, abundant & healthy lives. I’m making this music for myself (this is what I want to hear in my head on repeat) & it can be super impactful & empowering for others too, it’s not just entertainment with good melody & voice showcase.
As a Leela guide & guides instructor, I’m facilitating people’s transformations & alignment within - it’s not just about fun & deep conversations, it’s proactively life-changing.
So yeah, they can have fun & entertain & be entertained. It’s their choice. I’m choosing a different path - entertainment with purpose.
Am I still judging? No. I see the benefits of what they're doing.
Comments