"There is nothing more notable in Socrates than that he found time, when he was an old man, to learn music and dancing, and thought it time well spent."
-- Michel de Montaigne
For Americans in the year 2000, there may be few things more notable than the fact that they will work, according to the expectations of futurologists, an average twenty to thirty-two hours per week. Workaholics may fill the increase in leisure time by taking on three, four, or five jobs, but what about the rest of us? How will we fare?
Many may simply be bored, which could be disastrous. One expert spoke of some who commit suicide because they are literally "bored to death." The way out, in such cases, is through challenge and action (guided, it should be said, by a competent therapist).
Others may find themselves frittering hours away in a semiconscious state before a television set. In their book The Adjusted American, Snell and Gail Putney explain why sitting before the TV is the activity of choice for so many. The entertainment industry has offered, they say, "a product which is undemanding, yet sufficiently interesting to alleviate boredom - and divert the mind…. It trades on a neurotic flight from the self, and by insulating the individual from self-awareness, encourages neurosis."
In contrast to boredom and potential neurosis, "enhanced self-esteem, enjoyment of life, and better physical and mental health" are among the benefits awaiting those who want to use their free time properly, says Howard Tinsley, professor of psychology at Southern Illinois University. The question is, for those of us who would rather avoid boredom and neurotics TV watching, how might we evaluate our use of leisure time so that we can begin using it in ways that are healthy and recreative?
Psychologists say we should be able to look back on leisure activities as time well spent, time that promotes tranquility and helps us to feel good. The key here is to find something we love doing for its own sake, and then do it. The activity need have no purpose other than to enjoy it for what it is.
Mike Kotter loves music and has been playing guitar and singing in the Washington, D.C., area for ten years. But he works fifty hours a week at his regular job as a reporter. "As much as I love it, music just didn't pay the bills from one month to the next," he says. You'd think that by the weekend the reporter would be ready to relax - and he is. But on stage. "I really look forward to Friday night, turning in the tie for a Hawaiian shirt, getting out there on the stage and blasting 'em." Kotter has found that working full-time in a field other than music has a reward beyond the monetary. "I'm enjoying the music a whole lot more," he says.
Professor Tinsley has studied the long-term effects of structured free time, and he recommends that a leisure activity not be chosen because a person feels he "should" do it. "You shouldn't feel compelled. To be intrinsically rewarding," he explains, "you need to enjoy the activity. And it should provide what we call a sense of optimal arousal. It should not be common or routine, but needs to fall somewhere in the middle of the scale between
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