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Comment by baddox | Hacker News Reader

> The number of people who I've talked to who legitimately don't know what to do without work during the pandemic is staggering.

I wouldn't look at that and conclude that these people are just domesticated livestock who have no self-worth beyond their job. A lot of legitimate hobbies and even just normal socializing are completely shut down or heavily restricted in a lot of places.

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It's unfortunate that passive entertainment is all that we crave, people in general have become "lazy", they simply don't want to put the effort in doing anything "active" > sports, art, music. And I disagree, you can pick a new sport, prior to the pandemic I worked out at the gym and played racquetball. Now I work out at home with kettle bells and resistance bands. Picked up mountain biking and tennis, which are "socially distanced" sports. You can learn a musical instrument, cook, bake, paint, ride a motorcycle, kayak, take pictures, no one is stopping you.

Yes and no. Kayaking needs transport to a body of water. Biking is okay, but some people find it hard to breathe with a mask on while biking. Musical instruments work if you have a private residence and already know how to play. If you don't many people prefer learning from a tutor.

Of course there are some things we can do by ourselves, but not everyone is made that way. Lots and lots of people would rather while time away. "Dumb" by Nirvana captures this pretty well.

Good grief, people. If you're wearing a mask while on a bike (distant from people) you're doing it wrong.

In some jurisdictions it's mandatory to wear a mask when out in public. A lot of the definitions are wishy washy (medically approved, for example), is a national forest a "public space"? technically, yes...

Austin, Texas. One of "the worst hotspots".

Can confirm that not one soul has hassled any of us for riding our bikes in the woods with our masks off.

Were it not for bicycle motocross, I think I would have jumped in front of a bus by now. Seeing my friends in the woods is one of the only things keeping me sane.

I cannot recommend cycling highly enough; not just as a pandemic activity, but as a way of life.

I live in Gent, Belgium, which has more bike traffic than car traffic on any given day. Biking here is treated as a way of life. I've been spoken to for biking without a mask, even though I was not in a heavily populated area (I was riding along a canal outside of the city, and was accosted by a police officer riding in the opposite direction).

But even so, so what? The mask isn't going to let me ride as vigorously as I normally would, but I can still get out into nature and enjoy some exercise and new scenery.

I don’t think this is true at all. I often wear a mask when it’s not entirely necessary, just to be on the safe side in case something happens or I encounter someone unexpectedly.

Sure, I’ll almost always be fine in these circumstances, but the “cost” of wearing a mask is really nothing compared to the protection afforded me in the event of the unforeseen.

Absolutely cannot agree enough with this sentiment and I do the same out of what seems like basic cautionary instinct, though the sheer quantity of people (perhaps a loudly vocal minority) who seem to consider the particularly minor inconvenience of wearing a mask to be too high of a "cost" continues to surprise me.

I think this is part of it. Lots of things require social contact in parts of the process. If your hobby produces something useful, it might also require a way to distribute it in a marketplace: say bread, or cheese or beer, furniture, etc., etc. At some point your hobby can cause things to pile up in your residence and that's no good either.

Isn't that exactly the point? It's just extended a little, with "legitimate hobbies" and "normal socializing" not available. So take that away and then they are domesticated livestock? If you don't have the ability to do something with your time outside of your normal environment, that is definitely an indicator that something is really off. There is SOOOO much you can do. I wouldn't even know where to start even if I didn't have my job and was locked in a room.

Sure, in the strictly technical sense, there's "SOOOO much you can do" — but that's not really useful information, is it? Just because you could pound sand, or eat dirt, or bang your head into a wall, that doesn't mean those activities are enjoyable or enriching. The challenge is not finding something you can do, it's finding something you can do that's more rewarding than staring at your phone, and there are a lot fewer things that fall into that category, and they're not all the same for everyone.

In prison, the worst punishment you can get is being moved AWAY from all the rapists and murderers, and into solitary confinement. Humans are extremely social creatures.

I still have my job, but not being able to go out and socialize in the evenings and on weekends is driving me a little nutty. Sure, I work on some side projects, read books, work out, watch films, etc., but it just doesn't come remotely close to filling the same void for me as having a drink and good conversation (in real-life) with my close friends, or swinging by my climbing gym, or seeing live music.

I don't think that means something is "really off" with me, or that I'm "domesticated livestock" - it just means my hobbies and the way I like to spend my time aren't as pandemic-friendly as yours.

that's half the point though - the pandemic means we're all locked away as individuals, roommates, or family units, with few exceptions.

I'd love to go jam with my band, but we're all in lockdown mode. I'd love to go to the playground with my kids, but they're all closed. I'd love to have a playdate with my friend's kids, but everyone is self-isolating.

These are not normal circumstances.

> I wouldn't even know where to start

Right.

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