The joy of being a non-connoisseur

Recently, I went so see an Indian classical performance by wife of a friend of ours in an auditorium in a neighboring town. Well trained in music, she sang a variety of classical pieces for almost two hours to an audience comprised of friends and family.

I thought it was a good performance, but some of us in the group, who are connoisseurs of Indian classical music, thought she was OK. Now, I am not a neophyte in this type of music. I took courses when I was young and have enjoyed listening to performances over the years. However, I am not an expert or a discriminating listener. That fact actually played in my favor---while I enjoyed the music, some others did not.

The same thing happens when I go to good restaurants. I enjoy all types of foods and am quite adventurous when it comes to eating. But I am not a foodie, say, like a friend of mine who is able to detect the level of oregano in a dish and complain when it is not to his liking. I would not know an oregano if I met one nor detect the presence or absence of it in food. So, a joyful meal for me is not so for him.

I have started to think that being a non-connoisseur brings more joy in participating in an activity than being one.

To take it further, one should learn to enjoy lots of things in life but stop short of becoming an expert in any. The level of joy is like a bell-shaped curve, the peak being somewhere in the middle. After which it goes downhill.

Unfortunately, in some activities, I have managed to go beyond that happy middle and started to miss the joy that comes with not being discriminating.

Take photography for instance. I have started disliking most pictures I see, as my level of appreciation for that art increases. I cannot stand those Facebook pictures that are dark, out of focus, and taken with utter disregard of composition. In doing so, I completely miss the warmth that should some out of seeing party pictures of some friend or relative. The same thing with movies. I do not have patience for most Bollywood or Hollywood movies. I need an exquisitely crafted independent or foreign film before I feel satisfied with the movie watching experience.

So, my resolution for the New Year is to dumb down on activities where I have started knowing too much, and keep being ignorant where I currently am.

That is the only way to joy ;-)