I totally agree with what you've written - "comparison is the thief of joy" is one of my favorite mantras. That said, hobbies can be remarkably useful because

I totally agree with what you've written - "comparison is the thief of joy" is one of my favorite mantras. That said, hobbies can be remarkably useful because they allow you to create or engage in something that is uniquely tailored to your own personal interests, and the modern economy often doesn't provide that level of personalization, or if it does it's extremely expensive. E.g. the other commenter that decided to design his own clothes because mass produced clothing is really just tailored to "average".