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Leisure

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Recreation

   An example of leisure, someone falling asleep whilst bathing in the
   sun.
   Enlarge
   An example of leisure, someone falling asleep whilst bathing in the
   sun.

   Leisure is one's discretionary time spent in non-compulsory activities,
   time spent away from cares and toils. Because leisure time is free from
   compulsory activities such as employment, running a business, household
   chores, education, day-to-day stress, eating, and sleeping, it is often
   referred to as "free time". The distinction between leisure and
   compulsory activities is not strict, as compulsory activities may be
   done for pleasure as well as for long-term utility.

Etymology

   Etymologically, the word leisure descends from the Latin word licere,
   meaning "to be permitted" or "to be free", via Old French leisir, and
   first appeared in the early 14th century. The 'u' first appeared in the
   early 16th century, probably by analogy with words such as pleasure .

   A simple definition of leisure is "time spent out of work and essential
   domestic activity". -Leisure is the disposition of receptive
   underdstanding of contemplative beholding, and immersion-in the real.

   For an experience to qualify as leisure, it must meet three criteria:
   1) The experience is a state of mind. 2) It must be entered into
   voluntarily. 3) It must be intrinsically motivating of its own merit.
   (Neulinger, 1981)

   The Greek word for leisure is "σχολή". This is the origin of the Latin
   for school ("scola"). To the Greek mind, the primary function of
   leisure was not necessarily recreational, but to expand ones awareness
   and understanding of the world. The social context of this
   understanding of leisure has, to a large extent, been lost, and with it
   the notion of leisure being the pursuit of philosophy.

History of the concept of leisure

   The notions of leisure and leisure time are thought to have emerged in
   Victorian Britain in the late nineteenth century, late in the
   Industrial Revolution. Early factories required workers to perform long
   shifts, often up to eighteen hours per day, with only Sundays off work.
   By the 1870s though, more efficient machinery and the emergence of
   trade unions resulted in decreases in working hours per day, and
   allowed industrialists to give their workers Saturdays as well as
   Sundays off work. Affordable and reliable transport in the form of
   railways allowed urban workers to travel on their days off, with the
   first package holidays to seaside resorts appearing in the 1870s, a
   trend which spread to industrial nations in Europe and North America.
   As workers channeled their wages into leisure activities, the modern
   entertainment industry emerged in industrialised nations, catering to
   entertain workers on their days off. This Victorian concept - the
   weekend - heralded the beginning of leisure time as it is known today.

Types of leisure

     * Active leisure: Active leisure implies a desired exertion of
       energy. Low-impact activities include walking and yoga, which
       expend little energy and have little contact or competition.
       High-impact activities such as kick-boxing consume much energy and
       are competitive. Active leisure and recreation overlap
       significantly.
     * Passive leisure: Passive leisure implies a desire to refrain from
       exerting energy. Its purest form is lounging, "doing nothing", the
       kind of leisure which implies going into a near-sleep state. It is
       viewed by some as wasting time. Passive leisure that is not
       enjoyable can lead to boredom. Some moral codes frown upon this
       type of leisure, while others celebrate it, as in the British
       magazine The Idler. There are other passive activities that share
       many motivations and skills with the active types, and reflect our
       age, lifestyles and interests. Examples are going to the cinema,
       and gambling.

Examples of leisure activities

   Feet propped up on a kayak. Kayaking is considered a leisure sport.
   Enlarge
   Feet propped up on a kayak. Kayaking is considered a leisure sport.
     * Sitting outdoors whilst enjoying the scenery and sipping on a soft
       drink such as iced tea or hard drink such as brandy.

   People who work indoors and spend most of their time sitting and doing
   paper work would probably need physical activity, e.g. playing a ball
   game, going camping, hiking or fishing. If their job involves a lot of
   physical activity, they would probably want to spend their free time at
   home reading books, magazines or watching TV. For some people
   collecting things is good free time hobby. They can collect stamps,
   postcards, badges, model cars or ships, bottles, antiques and so on.

   People can spend their free time individually or their free time can be
   organized for example by schools or other institutions. Schools offer a
   lot of extra activities, especially sports activities. There are some
   hobby groups - the volleyball, football, basketball, handball teams,
   the computer clubs, the theatre clubs, choirs. Other institutions also
   offer extra activities for all people that want to spend their free
   time usefully. People can attend language schools, art schools, sports
   clubs and various groups where they can spend their time pleasantly
   with other people.

   Most people like socializing. They enjoy going out with friends for
   dinner or a drink after a hard day at work. For many young people,
   having one regular night out a week is a normal part of their free
   time, whether it is joining friends for a drink in a pub, dining out in
   a restaurant, watching a film, playing videogames or dancing the night
   away at a club. For those who are not too tired after a long day at
   work, there is one more possibility: education. Many state and private
   companies require their staff to be university-educated so many of
   their employees, of all ages, spend their free time studying part-time
   at different universities. Thousands of people spend hundreds of hours
   every year learning foreign languages.

Cultural differences

   Various cultures hold different views of leisure. Whether the culture
   is predominantly capitalist or socialist can greatly influence its
   appreciation of leisure.

Capitalist views

   Capitalist societies often view active leisure activities positively.
   Many active leisure activities require an investment of time and money.
   Thus, it is more difficult to engage in such activities if one is poor.
   Capitalist societies often accord members who have more wealth with
   greater status. Those types of inactive leisure that also require an
   investment of time and money, such as "doing nothing" in a vacation
   atmosphere, are also viewed positively.

   On the other hand, someone who "does nothing" at home is often referred
   to as "lazy" by others in the capitalist society, regardless of their
   financial situation. The wealthy person who does nothing but lounge
   around the pool at home is seen as lazy. However, the individual's
   financial investment helps determine the level of status an activity
   can give a person. So it is that "doing nothing" by your own pool has
   higher status than "doing nothing" watching television without
   cablltrle.

   " Workaholics" are those who work compulsively at the expense of other
   activities. They prefer to work rather than spend time socializing and
   engaging in other leisure activities. Many see this as a necessary
   sacrifice to attain high-ranking corporate positions. However, these
   days increasing attention is being paid to the effects of such
   imbalance upon the worker and the family.

   Historically, "workaholics" would not have been recognized as a problem
   and would have been highly commended in the US. Throughout its early
   history, American society was driven by the Protestant work ethic. This
   cultural view was inspired by the Protestant preacher John Calvin.
   There are a variety of Protestant sects that stem from Calvinism.

Socialist views

   A socialist society would be expected to view activities that do not
   contribute to society in a negative manner. However, there are
   different forms of socialism. According to the philosopher Marcus
   Verhaegh, there were Europeans and Americans who, in the the 60's and
   70's, advocated what might be termed a 'leisure socialism.' They
   believed if everyone is content with a smaller piece of the pie,
   everyone can then have their basic needs met. If everyone's basic needs
   are met, many in society can use their free time to pursue the arts,
   mysticism, athletics, various hobbies and other leisure activities.

   Socialist writer E. Belfort Bax wrote in 1884 of a similar vision for
   socialist Europe in the article "Socialism and the Sunday Question" for
   Justice Again that work should be spread about so that everyone is
   provided with times of rest. His focus was on the elimination of one
   universal day of rest, but the general ideas are quite similar to those
   that emerged in nineteenth century America.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leisure"
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