The Leisurely Path

[Found Goat]

After typing 'leisure' into the search engines of the various forums on this site, I was surprised to find so few results, to find hitherto so greatly unused a word; a term commonly associated with those who lead contemplative lives, as I suspect many if not most of us do here.

So it is I would like to start a thread in celebration of one of my favorite words in the dictionary: leisure.

By extension, any discussion of leisure, however casual and brief, is likely to inevitably lead to a discussion of what is considered to be its antithesis: namely, that of economic work, and specifically said work's relation to the one leading or striving to lead a meaningful leisurely existence.

It is to be noted at the outset that the etymological Greek root of the word 'leisure' is 'school.' From this one can deduce that leisure is to be differentiated from mere idleness, as also that of rest, relaxation, and recreation -- or 'the three Rs.'

Do you 'live to work' -- in the spirit of the careerist, fast-tracker, and entrepreneur -- or do you 'work to live'? If the latter, then you may very well be one as counted among the leisurely class -- this class, to be distinguished from those who place far too much value on economic work in general and who may even regard the corporate/business world as the be-all-and-end-all of human existence.

Admittedly, there are many within any given society who cannot afford the luxury of living a strictly or predominantly leisurely life and are compelled to work a paying job due to necessity. That is not to say that provided the opportunity to engage in leisurely activities that the average drudge and wage slave would choose to do so, in all likelihood preferring instead the three Rs or their free time spent in pursuing pleasure. Thus, the demonization of the word 'leisure' by those who adhere to the workaholic mentality and V.I.P. schedule, in which leisure is erroneously viewed as a period in which time is wasted (since no money is being earned) and the domain of the contemptible do-nothing and/or hedonist.

Such a topsy-turvy view of leisure, associated as it so often is with fribbling behavior, by those among the unleisurely class, is I think an inversion designed to belittle the otherwise importance and value of the leisurely path. For it is by following the leisurely path that I feel is where a sense of purpose is truly found, there in fulfilling personal studies, creative activities, and spiritual reveries.

Although I do not strut about town in top hat and walking stick, and despite my being a member of the workforce, I nevertheless consider myself a Man of Leisure, first and foremost, for such is the state of my mindset.

Viva 'school'!

[BigJohn]

I am 'going back' to live a leisure life.

Expect me to be going up and down the river in about 2 weeks. As far as I am concerned, I will be on permanent vacation.

[Found Goat]

One leisurely activity I take great delight in is gardening. Another is reading. Even puzzling is a meditative experience for me, more so than I would say fun. When totally absorbed in a 1000 piece puzzle, it's as if time slows to a halt, to where clocks and stopwatches seem of the devil.

For others, it may be painting or bird-watching that brings them closer to self and to Creator.

The spinster browses a craft shop and feels like a little kid in a candy store.

The leisurely path, I feel, is what brings one closer to innocence, to the way we used to view the world when as small children, before adult responsibilities and worldly ambitions/mentalities come along to weigh down and transmogrify the spirit. It is why I think some adults take up an avocational interest -- not only as a means of mentally escaping the daily grind but also -- if only at a subconscious level -- so as to get in touch with their inner child.

The leisurely path, it might then be said, therefore appeals mostly if not solely to those grown-ups who are commendably young at heart -- and who, as such, may even look a lot younger than their age.

By contrast, the unleisurely, or worldlings as I sometimes call them, often look a lot older than they are, tending to age faster in appearance than those who adhere to the path, as if time is not kind to the person out of touch with his youthful and inquisitive and playful past. This at least has been my own observation and I'm well aware I speak in general terms.

Meanwhile, there is the dandified gentleman, all dolled up in fancy attire and rolling in clover, perhaps belonging to the uppity aristocracy, there to make it out to seem this 'school' is a luxury only afforded the prestigious, when in reality true (non-pretentious and non-elitist) leisure knows not nor cares for social position, wealth, and power.

Getting back to the workforce. It goes without saying that economic work has its place and is for the commoner an unavoidable fact of reality. And yet the work week generally demands of one five out of every seven days be spent devoted to the basic necessities of food and shelter, all the while many an animal is better off. Consider not only the lilies of the field but also the ducks in the pond and chirping birds in the tree.

It is no wonder why so many in the workforce appear stressed, miserable, sullen, if not suicidal, what with their hopes and dreams and spirits crushed, like the downtrodden drudges in the silent films Metropolis and A Nous La Liberte, shown walking in lockstep into their places of employment, as if a sign hung over their heads, 'Woe ye who enter here.' This, in keeping with the controllers of the system who, through the invention and manipulation of money, the selling of consumerism, and the worship of Mammon, have designed it so; who have taken tremendous pleasure enslaving the masses and corrupting/deadening human souls.

Sadly, many wait until their retirement years before taking up a life of leisure, only to find one foot in the grave and a trembling hand unable to keep still the crossword page. Some payoff for fifty or so years spent preparing for the future. With many a pensioner doubtless in the process of still paying off their post-secondary school loan -- a scam if ever there was one.

Nineteenth-century Transcendentalist writer, Henry David Thoreau, famously retreated to a cabin in the woods in order to seek out what it means to live, eventually returning to society ever the wiser. Obviously, the Man of Leisure needn't go to such an extreme as this, in order to reach a place of inner calm and contentment and to find a little haven from the world. That is what the leisurely path is for, as, to re-emphasize, it being not so much a physical retreat as a state of mind.

So there is a middle ground to be found.

Neither slovenly sweatpants nor showy suits for me! Only khakis and casuals.

[Found Goat]

Never-minding, for a moment, the beloved forum user whose voluminous post count bespeaks of one possibly dependent on social welfare, for those of us who are physically and mentally capable of working and who, despite our looking to the skies for manna, must take it upon ourselves to earn our daily breadcrumbs, if only to keep our toilets operational, both surprising and encouraging it is to occasionally hear of positive changes to be made within the workplace at the very least considered by seeming or more so nominally leisure-conscious managers and CEOs.

Still, if there is such a thing as this 'work-life balance' going on in today's working world, the continued 5-to-2 ratio of days required on the jobsite compared to days off proves such an ideal scenario as one yet to be actualized, a matter of hitherto all-talk-no-action on the part of these waging slaveholders the world over. We are to believe that these same draconian overlords who frown upon employees caught even engaging in a (verbal) microbreak and who cry 'time theft' over mere seconds of supposed misuse of company time will somehow right the ship as it were and correct this inhumane ratio lopsidedness.

There was a time when members of the workforce were promised a glorious age to come when, thanks to technology, labor-saving devices would allow for the company cog to spend more time in Shangri-La and less time in greasing the wheel. Many of us are still patiently awaiting this promised utopia, although the potential downside of this would be a work-life balance tipped perhaps too unfavorably in the opposite direction, in which there would be not enough work to sustain even a subsistent existence, let alone a blissfully leisurely lifestyle, on account of an overly automated workforce. Ah, therein lies the rub.

[AngelBlue]

Such simple pleasures like pottering in the garden should never be taken for granted.
Only when you can no longer do it do you look back on how precious those wonderful moments were.
Amongst other things of course , like walking on the beach, picking blackberries, walking in the woods watching the squirrels running around, seeing the joy of all the bluebells .
But the "memory" of such leisure is a joy in itself.

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by AngelBlue

Such simple pleasures like pottering in the garden should never be taken for granted.
Only when you can no longer do it do you look back on how precious those wonderful moments were.

I remember starting some huckleberry seeds with the intent of growing some huckleberries. Being I never had huckleberries: I had my fill of them along with some pies.
I use to run along the narrow strip washed up along the beach. I really enjoyed those peaceful moments. ......and then, the enjoyment I got, watching a coconut float upstream all by itself.

So many pleasures and for the most part, they are 'free'.

[Bluto]

A most interesting topic Found Goat. Forgive me, but my interest drives me to a particular statement: “I do not strut about town in a top-hat and walking stick”.

I ask in ernest, why not? I found a crown on ebay, and I wear it to the pub…

…. daily. At least on my days off.

See, I work 4 on 4 off. On my 4 shifts, my entire being surrenders to it, come what may. But during, I listen to audiobooks, podcasts, and comedy shows. I educate and entertain myself whilst earning my crust. But on my 4 off I don my crown and strut about town – 3 piece suit to boot. Why not? I get funny looks, but I’m at leisure, and that’s all that matters.

My 4 shifts off usually include carnal desires, fish & chips, discussing paintings without much knowledge, speaking broken Russian for no particular reason, and talking to trees. But when I’m not drunk it’s usually family, friends, and drawing – that sort of thing.

Like you, though a wage slave, it’s only part time. The rest of my time is pure leisure – a favourite word of mine too. It’s so leisurely, that I don’t know what each day will entail when I wake up. I make it up as I go along. That can be spending a whole day in bed taking any number of self-guided tours, or it can be random 150 mile drives to a hitherto unvisited towns purely out of curiosity as to what the pubs are like there… + my crown.

I recommend it to anyone (who doesn’t have ch**dren)

[AngelBlue]

BigJohn....
I'm of the same mould somewhat with enjoying all the things that are "free"...
Nature is free and looking back I realise that a lot of my "leisure" time growing up and through my life actually was free.

Bluto.... You are SUCH a diva !!!!
Wearing your crown LOL....
Bit like me getting my wings out round Aldi .....
Heehee ...

[BigJohn]

I agree.
The free things are always the best, in my opinion.

[Bluto]

Originally Posted by AngelBlue

Bluto.... You are SUCH a diva !!!!
Wearing your crown LOL....
Bit like me getting my wings out round Aldi .....
Heehee ...

A nightclub doorman confiscated it once.

I was crest-fallen.