Speak Out: What is Leisure?

WHAT do you do after you return home from school and finish your homework? What do you do for fun and enjoyment during that time? The block of time that is left over after you work, the free time left over for you to enjoy is called "leisure time."

To most people, leisure simply means recreation that provides escape from the strains of their everyday work. In order to find out how this modern definition of leisure compares with definitions of the past, the role of leisure in the past needs to be examined.

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As the nature and quantity of work changed over time, people in different periods of history had varying definitions of leisure. To the Greeks, leisure meant time to use their minds to expand their intellectual horizons. It was time to further their education so that they could contribute to society by becoming better citizens. In contrast, the Romans regarded leisure primarily as a time when people were permitted to rest from hard, physical work. The Pilgrims, instead of believing that leisure was in some way beneficial, viewed it as a disgraceful state of laziness that promoted mischief. As a result, they advocated hard work from sunrise to sunset.

The role that leisure plays in a young person’s life today is similar to the role that it plays in an adult’s life. It promotes both with pleasure, amusement, and sometimes friendship. A youngster can spend it in whatever way he or she chooses, just as an adult can. In the same way that it offers youth freedom from the rigors of school work, it provides adult relief from the rigors of a job.

However, leisure time serves a more significant purpose in a young person’s life. In childhood and in youth, it is a time away from school work during which youngsters are free to explore the world around them. Through sports activities such as basketball, baseball, they strengthen their bodies and at the same time, learn ways to interact with others. By pursuing such hobbies as reading, cooking, photography, playing musical instruments, youngsters discover and develop the interest, talents, and feelings that will shape to their future lives.

Rufo M. Henson
Teacher III
Porac Model Community High School