07_30_2020

Role of Leisure Time in Our Becoming!

I asked a participants in a course that I am facilitating to consider the topic of Leisure Time and how the concept plays out in their lives.  The course is focused on issues that are relevant to choices we make and how we structure our lives in a way that moves us toward Becoming  the person we want to be.   I anticipated some of where the discussion might lead, including a general consensus that the word itself is not used much in our society today.

I questioned whether people had replaced the term with new words, such as relaxation, free time, etc.  But I did not get a clear answer.  My hunch is that as technology as a way of communicating has become such a major part of our lives, we have significantly blurred if not erased the boundaries of work, home, and some private time to ourselves.

As one individual in the group noted, mental health professionals are indicating that the lure of connections available to us via our cell phones has become an addiction.  I don’t disagree.  I shared a story of a family of four that I see on my weekend walking paths.  A family of four: father, mother, son, and daughter, each walking while glued to their individual cell phones.

No one in the group is looking around, taking in the sights and sounds available on a pleasant, quiet weekend morning.  I marvel that they are able to amble along without bumping into things or getting hit by cars.

I resorted to looking up the work leisure in the American Heritage Dictionary (AMH), thinking that having a more precise meaning in hand might be useful.  I found that we gave similar meanings to the word.  AMH defines the word as, “free time when one is not working or attending to other matters.”  A second definition suggested “relaxation or activities engaged in during such activities.”

My earliest memories of the term go back to references in the world history class I took in high school.  There were references to classes of people defined by their socio-economic standing.  The two class distinctions that I recall are  the “working class” and the “leisure class.”  I cannot remember a period in my lifetime where I have heard a portion of our country’s residents referred to as our leisure class.

I suspect that it is common for people to accept AMH’s first definition of leisure, i.e., free time when we are not working or attending to other matters.

My reason for selecting the topic of leisure time was that I wanted to hear if as a group we saw in any relationship between our use of our free time and who we want to become.  Here are some quotes I used that might be helpful in understanding the potential relationships between the two.

• “Leisure time is open time, with no obligations except toward the inner world and

what is going on there.”  Attributed to May Sarton.

• “If you are losing your leisure, look out! —-It may be that you are losing your soul.”

Virginia Woolf

• “Together with a culture of work, there must be a culture of leisure as gratification. To

put it another way: people who work must take time to relax, to be with their families,

to enjoy themselves, read, listen to music, play a sport.”  Pope Francis

Clearly others see a relationships to how we use our free time or leisure and who we are developing as people.

I find all three quotes worth thinking about.  The first two entries clearly make a connection between having some free time to contemplate and pursue aspects related to how we answer questions concerning the meaning and the purpose of our lives.

I have just completed an on-line course, Growing Whole, Not Old sponsored by the Charter for Compassion.  The materials support the belief that as we age, we are more than likely to experience  a series of losses.  Possible losses include the death of a spouse, other family members and friends and colleagues.  People that become central parts in our lives may relocate, making it more difficult to spend time together.  We may lose some of our physical abilities which could result in our spending more time alone.

Key to offsetting some of the potential losses is to have developed a strong sense of an inner or spiritual life, one in which one can begin to focus on using the gifts that one has been given and developed to support, guide and be of assistance to the next generation.

I believe that our free time allows us to pursue a range of activities that contribute to our developing a richer inner life and a more robust, deeper understanding and appreciation of the human experience.  I consider reading as one of my spiritual practices. I gain insights about my life by reading about others, whether they be fictional or real.  I appreciate the opportunity to learn about others whose lives are quite different from mine.

Having time to explore the artifacts – music, art, literature – created by previous civilizations cannot help but inspire us to marvel about the human experience.

If it is not obvious, without giving ourselves some down time to explore, relax, enjoy, and pursue new interests, we trap ourselves on the hamster wheel.  Without the time to renew and recharge, we become as a dear friend and poet described as “trapped in amber.”  We become frozen, preserved, void of any vitality.

In closing dear readers, I am suggesting that you take a few minutes today or in the next few days to think answer the following two questions:  Am I making space in my life for the leisure time I need to renew myself and stay engaged in this life of mine?  Am I making choices on how I use my free time that will serve me well in my coming years?

Be well and stay safe.  Covid-19 has provided us with new ways of living, and hopefully in these circumstances, we have all found some extra time that we are using wisely.