Long essay on Modern Man And His Leisure

We should value our spare time, take it seriously, and make the most of it. It is imperative to study the impact of leisure on the living patterns of people. Leisure time is introducing a much greater measure of equality into our lives. Thus, “equality is in the air, nobody knows what structure the new society will have; but we make experiments daily in the new forms of social equality.”

The new leisure is causing changes that will bring a better balance with the environment. “The conventions of an aristocratic society are passing away. The conventions of community of equals are replacing those of a community of dependents and their controllers”, says Burns.

A common philosophy of democracy and equal rights as represented by a mutual respect among people, and lessening of class snobbery and superiority feelings is emerging. If there is trend towards more equality in modern life, one of the forces in this transformation or tendency can be the relationship and attitudes of men toward each other in leisure.

In the new era, leisure will not be peculiar to any particular class. Said Burns, “leisure as the civilization at its best is not, in modern conditions, the privilege of a class.” The new leisure will make new men and women, who will be less exhausted with work and more lively and spirited, less dull or bored, more creative and lighthearted.

Attitude towards leisure time is not the primary dynamics of social class. Money worth which to buy things is a major factor. The style of life characteristic of social class position is another factor.

Upper groups enjoyed more cultural recreations, more community and civic-activity, and more reading and study. Other aspects of the modern situation, which finds leisure time activity as an aspect of social stratification, and difference in class patterns reflecting the distance global society must travel before it reaches the hopeful state predicted by Burns.

New leisure has set in process a series other great constructive changes in the lives of man, and has opened up the possibility for still greater change in which man can create a new civilization of democracy, equals and culture.

The challenge of leisure is visualized in another way. In earlier day’s man’s basic creative and productive instinct, the “pioneer instinct”, was put to work conquering wilderness. With the end of the frontier, this instinct became diverted, or perverted, to exploitation of weaker abilities and less powerful people.

So, we have to find the new means to control this frustrated human instinct. Leisure is able to meet this challenge, “furnishing legitimate and social outlets for the human creative instinct, which otherwise is so often diverted by our modern intensive civilization into channels that are essentially predatory”, says Pack.

Leisure time offers an opportunity for aesthetic human relationships. For happiness and contentment, for sharing of the healthful and psychological values of friendship. The new leisure can function in the life of a person as he learns how to live more happily with himself, enjoy the values and satisfaction of happy relationship with his family and his friends, to get fulfillment in voluntary and community service and in service to his fellows, and to share in more kindly attitudes among people in general.

There is a danger and a challenge in the leisure. Man may either succumb to danger and misuse his leisure time to his own destruction, or rise to the challenge and find a means for fuller living. Romney point out the alternatives available to man in the use of his ever-increasing leisure tome, which is time his very own, a possession which is rightful expectancy in a democratic society a possession earned by an; complementary to his time on the job or in school.

This plethora of leisure may be great personal, community and national liability if we are simply to know the pain of empty house, if we are simply to seek metaphorical sedatives, time killers and pain killers. On the other hand, if the people are prepared to use their leisure time constructively and joyously and an adequate opportunity for leisure is provided, then the individual, the community and the State will fall have rich asset.

Kapalan suggests a range of creative values of man if he is able to organize and become educated to use them. He judges these values a creativity to be key criteria for evaluating our leisure culture.

Based upon the idea that creativity in man is part of his basic nature, this creativity may be found expressed in relations with others, both because of mutual pleasure in the association and because of sharing in common activity, concern, or interest. It may be found expressed in our seeking of new experiences and in our passive enjoyment of experiences brought to us. It may be found in the games we play and the art we experience.

He recognizes the destructive elements in our life, to be increasingly humanistic and richer in aesthetic values than ever before. He holds that a creative and dignified leisure immeasurably richer in values than man has experienced is within the grasp.