The importance of Leisure

The importance of Leisure

Ironically, ‘we give up leisure in order that we may have leisure, just as we go to war, in order that we have peace”. - Aristotle

Leisure is free time away from work, household chores, eating or sleeping. A few centuries ago leisure would have been the privilege of the rich. However, leisure is more equitable these modern days. There is a famous saying, “All Work and No play make Jack a dull boy.”

Leisure refreshes us, charges our batteries to re-start our work with energy and vigor. It allows opportunities for rest, recreation and other intellectual pursuits. Sports is one activity that came from leisure time, so did music and dancing. 

One Elephant in the room, is balance work life, that we are all undergoing in today’s VUCA world. This is linked with lifestyle and an inability to balance work and leisure. What is somewhat alarming is people are unable to stay away from work. At work, they appear to be in ‘flow’ – enjoying the moment, using their skills and knowledge. Yet away from work this ‘flow’ is unavailable to them. They may choose to watch TV, try to sleep, flop around the house. In short, there is lesser capacity to recreate energy in unstructured free time. And soon, after a short period of time, they look forward to getting back to work. Honestly, these folks would hate to admit that they cannot switch way from work. 

I would like to provoke a few questions:

1. What is this lopsided focus to work, against a balance work life? 

2. What is the implication of this as we move to a world of increased digitization and automation? 

"The heresies of one period," Margaret Thatcher said, always become "the orthodoxies of
the next." The end of work as we know it will seem unthinkable - until it has happened.