activites n interests

“In no more than 500 words, tell me about the activities and interests which you believe best represent the values and beliefs you hold strongly to.”

I have an avid interest in music. I believe music helps one to relax and cultivate interest in the arts. A pursue of the arts, in turn, would assist in the holistic development of the person as a whole. The type of music I prefer is instrumental and soothing. Of course, I do listen to the more popular songs today as well. However, I feel that even listening to such songs involve a certain sense of discerning. Some lyrics can convey wrong concepts like violence. Instrumental music, more commonly known as mood music, on the other hand, does not involve any lyrics. Feelings and emotions are conveyed to the listener purely by the tone, volume and tempo of the music. It involves a lot more skill in appreciating and understanding. In a sense, music is very meaningful to me because it allows me to appreciate simple things in life and to decipher unspoken messages in the music itself. I learn to be patient and calm through the listening and playing of music. I have been playing the piano for many years. It is a skill as well as a hobby. The ability to create music is an empowerment. I am learning the guitar at the moment. I hope that one day, I will be able to compose my own songs. It is the hope of every musician to do so. Composing songs, in my opinion, is an implicit and subtle way of expressing oneself. It also allows one to find one’s identity in music itself.

Watching television seems like a mundane pastime. However, the type of shows one views occasionally reflects one’s innate character. I like watching cartoons. They portray a guileless vista of the world. Most cartoons feature a myriad of characters that do not exist in the real world. Some of these characters have superpowers and exhibit laudable qualities like honesty, integrity, chivalry. Such qualities seldom appear in the fast-paced modern world nowadays where it is ‘each for his own’. In a sense, cartoons bring out the inner child in me and I enjoy immersing myself in a make-believe world where the good prevails and humanity is intrinsically good.

Meditation is an area that I would like to explore when I have the time. Meditation helps to calm the soul and to relieve stress. I believe that by meditation, one will be able to reflect effectively on one’s wrongdoings and change to be a better person. It also helps people to control their impulses by cultivating a sense of self-control and discipline within them.

In my opinion, pursuing suitable activities that concur with one’s values will help to enhance one’s spiritual being, helping one to be a better person. Of course, the prerequisite for this is to have morally correct values. Having strong beliefs in oneself assists one in working towards and realizing one’s dreams.

(477 words)