The Concept of Leisure - Essay Example

Running head: A critique on the concept of Leisure Name 1 The Concept of Leisure “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” is a famous proverb whose underlying meaning lies in the fact that if one continues working without refreshing one’s mind and body, then the person becomes dull and weary from his work. Contemporary society has moved away from this traditional notion and has taken on a whole new meaning in its perception of work and leisure. In the early days, life was simple and so were the concepts of work and leisure. Not everyone could afford having leisure because work was supposed to be for the poor common man, while leisure was considered to be for only the rich classes of people. However, in these modern times, the work/leisure dichotomy has taken on a whole new meaning and the reason for this change is due to the great advancements made in the field of Science and Technology. Along with these advancements, people experienced better living standard, brought about by the economic changes in the society. People moved away from the traditional because they became economically independent, and experienced a changed outlook where work and leisure were concerned. During the turn of the 19th century, the ushering in of the Industrial Revolution was primarily responsible to bring about such a drastic change. In this essay, we would discuss about the relationship between work and leisure and analyze the impact these concepts had on the evolving society. The study will also try to understand the concept that leisure is only possible if work is done. The concepts of work and leisure mean different things to different people. What may seem work to some would be leisure to many. However, work can be defined as having a regular occupation or engaging oneself physically and mentally in a job to accomplish their goals and Running head: A critique on the concept of Leisure Name 2 aspirations in life. Work is also described as the sustained physical exertion a person undergoes to achieve a task. According to (Ramey & Francis, 2009, p. 192) work can be considered as chores ‘that involve tasks necessary for earning and maintaining a standard of living’. Many perceive work as labor that helps them to tide over their obstacles in life and fulfill their aims and goals of monetary earning and helping them to make a success of their lives. Work gives individuals a sense of responsibility not only to themselves and their families, but also to the community and society around them, because it fuels them with a sense of social obligation to fulfill their social commitment of being a provider to their families to ensure that they not only belong there, but provide them their basic needs of food, shelter and other necessities of life. Work gives every human being a sense of self- worth, confidence and boosts his self-esteem as a worthy member of society. Laziness is not acceptable and therefore, those without jobs are not much favored or respected in society because they are in no position to fulfill or satisfy their needs or the needs of others in their environment. Hence, work is an indelible part of life and it is our duty to accomplish it, so that in return we are in apposition to fulfill our responsibilities and duties towards the society. On the other hand, work in return ensures the happiness and wellbeing of the individual and his family as well as it gives him a sense of belonging in the family and society, besides honing his various skills and providing him with the much needed experience he needs to be successful at his work. Leisure is considered to be the opposite of work and is one’s free time to do whatever we want. Leisure serves to take us away from our responsibilities and duties and provides us with a platform for rejuvenating our lives with good health and happiness. Leisure time is Running head: A critique on the concept of Leisure Name 3 free time and a time for relaxing ourselves by doing what we love the most. It could be a sport, a hobby or just going out with family and friends. Leisure is not confined to any duty or obligation but it gives us the freedom to choose a mode of relaxation which most pleases our senses to put us back in the right mood for work once again. According to (O’Boyle, 2011) Leisure is free time away from work that allows individuals to gain ‘relaxation from hard labor.’ Leisure activities comprise of picnics, sports, meeting friends, hobbies, cultivating skills such as music or art, going to the movies, or just chilling out doing what one likes to do. Such activities relax us physically and mentally and make us happy and confident of meeting the tasks ahead. It has a positive impact on us and helps to boost our confidence in more ways than one. On a broader perspective, work can be seen as a continuum that serves to obtain leisure that helps us satisfy our other needs. People who do not work, have less chances of enjoying leisure because they do not have the money to do so and neither the motivation for it. Both work and leisure serve to complement each other because unless they go hand in hand they could help a person to reach their goals in life. Though both are not an end in themselves, yet they can be used as a means to gain success by achieving the aims and goals they had set for themselves. Only those individuals who have the motivation, time and money can enjoy leisure in the way they deem fit Work and leisure have impacted our lives in so many ways and for different individuals these concepts hold different meanings. In ancient times there was a clear demarcation between what was work and what was leisure. Work was looked upon as way to earn a livelihood and fulfill their goals in life. Work was also looked upon as a means of earning money and providing their families with the basic necessities of life. For some people work was looked Running head: A critique on the concept of Leisure Name 4 upon as means of becoming successful in their lives or realizing their dreams. Though leisure has so many benefits, it is quite evident that not all people are capable of enjoying leisure because either they may be unemployed, sick or elderly. People who do not have a job cannot look forward to acquiring leisure, because they would not have the money power to do so, and therefore, the fact remains that in order to have the capacity to enjoy leisure activities one has to work. People who are highly motivated and are prepared to work hard in their lives have the freedom to choose their leisure activities from the wide variety available and at a cost that is affordable to them. Such people enjoy a respectable status in society and a good boost to their self-esteem and confidence that serve to help them tide over the problems they face in life. They also are easily accepted not only by their families and friends but also by the society at large. On the other hand, those who do not work are a bit sidelined by their family and friends and also the society in which they live in. From an ethical point of view leisure is considered by most people to be something good and positive because it helps us in so many different ways. However, on the other hand, leisure has a dark side to it because besides good even evil exists in society. Therefore, when negative things in our environment impact our lives then we experience the dark side. However, we do possess the freedom to either accept or reject them since the choice rests with us. It is a fact that influences prevalent in our society do have both positive and negative vibes on our physical and mental wellbeing and it is up to the individual to choose between the two. Most people are attracted towards the good influences while others get carried away by the bad ones. Societal structures influence the choices we make and this in turn serves to process our thoughts and behavior. If the influences are good, so also would be our thoughts and Running head: A critique on the concept of Leisure Name 5 behavior, but if the influences are bad, then it impacts our thoughts and behavior too. It is a fact, that all behavior is not accepted by society. Human behavior that falls within the boundary of what is acceptable will automatically be accepted by society. However, behavior that comes from the dark side will not be accepted because it does not fall within the boundaries of acceptance. Humans are rational beings and are capable of making their own choices, but when these choices are not normal, they are not accepted by the majority in the society. According to (Aizen, 2002) ‘even our past, can influence our behavior in the future.’ Hence it becomes our responsibility to maintain the right balance between this dichotomy, if we are to enjoy the benefits of leisure. In a society or community both good and evil forces prevail and it is for the individual to make a choice between the two. Though we have the freedom of choice in doing things, yet the fact remains that our likes, dislikes and thought processes are impacted by societal influences and structures. However, the impacts may be either positive or negative depending on the situation faced by the individual. When the influences are positive, even our behavior becomes positive and these behavior patterns automatically fall within the boundaries of normal behavior which are acceptable by society. However, if we are negatively influenced, our behavior becomes negatively impacted and such behavior does not fall with the boundaries that are acceptable in society. Such behavior is what is termed as ‘deviant behavior.’ Such deviant behavior is not accepted by traditional society because it has a very dark side to it. Some of the deviant activities include drug or alcohol abuse, hooliganism, gluttony, pornography, gambling and other bad influences. Though humans are rational beings, yet sometimes they can be influenced by the poor choices they make. People who Running head: A critique on the concept of Leisure Name 6 exhibit deviant behavior are always those who are not much respected and therefore sidelined by normal society. Hence it becomes our responsibility to maintain the right balance between this dichotomy if we are to enjoy the benefits of leisure. The dichotomy of both work and leisure continues to exist in modern society even though it has evolved and changed so much. Therefore, it becomes the duty of each individual to strike a balance between these dichotomies and look at work and leisure as essential parts of their lives. Unless this is done can they enjoy the benefits that come with them. If any one of these is neglected, then the other suffers because of it. In (Beatty & Torbert, 2003) opinion, the concept of work provided the individual with respect and dignity besides giving him the freedom and capacity to fulfill his dreams and making a success of himself as a worthy member of society Most Historians view ‘The Industrial Revolution’, as a period of major change and transformation that had a great impact on society that set the trend for marked advancement in society. Before the Industrial Revolution, the Depression had taken its toll on the people who suffered greatly due to suppression and oppression. They worked more but got very meagerly paid. They had neither the means nor the time for enjoying recreation. Life was indeed very difficult for the common man. However, after the Industrial Revolution, life changed for them in so many different ways. They earned better and life became much easier for them. However, there were some critics who believed that ‘The Industrial Revolution’ only served to make life even harder for the common worker because according to them it served to place Running head: A critique on the concept of Leisure Name 7 more pressure on them. Positivists however, believed that with the ushering in of the Industrial Revolution, mechanization was boosted and productivity flourished to a great extent, thereby raising the standard of living of the common man. The 19th century was an important period that served to stop the debacle of poverty and usher in a period of consumer revolution where goods were manufactured at a faster pace making goods more easily available to the common man. Even though there were so many wars and a high population explosion, yet life for the common man was indeed better than before. One of the primary changes brought about during this period was the working patterns of the common man which was shifted to a a Monday to Friday pattern for the working days, leaving the weekend free for his to enjoy his leisure time. ‘Work was given the first priority, while leisure was scheduled around all else.’ (Robinson & Godbey, 1997) Contemporary society continues to enjoy the benefits of the Industrial Revolution and Globalization has served to make further advancements in many areas of our lives. Now- a – days, people are in a better position where earning is concerned and therefore have a better spending capacity. The advancement of Science and Technology have served to make the world a smaller place to live in as it keeps people more connected and makes commodities more easily available to all. Economic independence has served to change our outlook on work and leisure. The technological advancement has served to make our lives more easy and functional giving us more free time to enjoy our leisure time with our friends and families. Globalization has served to widen our outlook on life giving it many dimensions for us to Running head: A critique on the concept of Leisure Name 8 choose from. The modern outlook has done away with the traditional community – based activities and now services for leisure have not only become more professional but highly commercialized. The spending capacity of individuals has made it possible for them to enjoy leisure activities to the extent they can afford. Enjoyment or leisure has taken on a whole new dimension with such a diverse variety of services available to us. People have come to realize that work and leisure go hand in hand and do not work in isolation of each other. The benefits of leisure cannot be contradicted and therefore employers try their best to link work and leisure for their employees because they understand that in doing so they become more productive in their work. One of the chief contributors for good job placement is a good education and people in contemporary society realize its importance and make a conscious effort to educate themselves and find lucrative jobs that put them in a position to enjoy many benefits in the lives- one of them being leisure. Other benefits of leisure that are indispensable to us are good health, self-respect and self-esteem, love and respect in the family and the joy of keeping closely connected in work and leisure. Hence there is no doubt, that leisure cannot be possible without work. Therefore it is justified in stating that ´Without work, there can be no leisure’. References Aizen, (2002) Theory of Planned Behavior, Perceived Behavioral Control, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32, 665 – 683 Beatty & Torbert, 2003, ‘The False Duality of Work and Leisure’, Journal of Management Inquiry¸ vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 239-25 O’Boyle, (2011), ‘Meeting Human needs through Consumption, Work and Leisure’, International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 260-272 Ramey & Francis, 2009, ‘A Century of Work and Leisure’, American Economic Journal, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 189 – 224. Robinson &Godbey, 1997, Time for life: The surprising ways Americans use their time. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, Pennsylvania. Read More