A Voice to Leisure
SCIENCE is really marvelous! Look at what it has done for us. A description by Richard Armour illustrates this fact.
Science, it seems, is now well on the way, to achieve its considerate aims for us. First, machines to provide us with leisure to play; then, machines to play various games for us. When machines do our work and machines do our play, we'll rejoice, for we'll then be in clover. We'll have nothing to do all the live-long day - 'til machines that do nothing take over!*
And, even then, our problems won't really be solved. Changes of untold proportions have taken place in our lifetime. Now, it is predicted that we will see far more changes during the rest of our lives than any of us have witnessed up to this point.
Change - that's the name of the game. With changes continuing to occur all around us, we begin to realize that we must change also. The history of civilization indicates that there has always been a serious lag between the getting of greater means, and the gaining of increased free time - and the intelligent use of these two things. So drastic has this lag been, we find that no previous society has been able to bridge this gap. Indeed, the perpetual misuse of increased means and leisure has threatened the termination of civilization. We can conclude that there has never been a time in history when a society enjoyed to much leisure on such a broad sociological scale as our own. Much of this free time, however, is spent unwisely. Twelve to seventeen years are often spent in learning to make a living - yet with little attention given to living the life provided through the efforts of our labor.
In a time when opposing political ideologies, backed by weapons which could annihilate all civilization, compete for the minds and hearts of people, we may be more sensitive to - if not more skillful in - preserving our freedoms. But, once freedom is won, what are we to do with it? What does it hold for us? The advantage of freedom from want and fear; freedom of speech; freedom of worship; freedom of assembly; freedom of the press; all these are clear enough, and we know what to do when they are ours. But having achieved all of these - with time to spare - will we know how to use this time to nourish and cultivate rather than to undermine individual freedom?
It's too late to think casually about the problems that unplanned free time will bring. The problems are already here! One answer to the leisure revolution is the church. Churches need to be alert to their opportunities; churches need to be awake and geared up to meet the challenges in our world today. One approach to a church's ministry that has limitless potential is through the effective and planned use of recreation.
It is time for a strong voice to leisure to be heard. Churches could provide that voice. Church leaders of every denomination should be reminded that leisure is neither good nor bad, but rather what matters is what use is made of it.
__________
*Nash, Jay B., Philosophy of Recreation and Leisure. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown, Publishers (1960), p. 25.
Science, it seems, is now well on the way, to achieve its considerate aims for us. First, machines to provide us with leisure to play; then, machines to play various games for us. When machines do our work and machines do our play, we'll rejoice, for we'll then be in clover. We'll have nothing to do all the live-long day - 'til machines that do nothing take over!*
And, even then, our problems won't really be solved. Changes of untold proportions have taken place in our lifetime. Now, it is predicted that we will see far more changes during the rest of our lives than any of us have witnessed up to this point.
Change - that's the name of the game. With changes continuing to occur all around us, we begin to realize that we must change also. The history of civilization indicates that there has always been a serious lag between the getting of greater means, and the gaining of increased free time - and the intelligent use of these two things. So drastic has this lag been, we find that no previous society has been able to bridge this gap. Indeed, the perpetual misuse of increased means and leisure has threatened the termination of civilization. We can conclude that there has never been a time in history when a society enjoyed to much leisure on such a broad sociological scale as our own. Much of this free time, however, is spent unwisely. Twelve to seventeen years are often spent in learning to make a living - yet with little attention given to living the life provided through the efforts of our labor.
In a time when opposing political ideologies, backed by weapons which could annihilate all civilization, compete for the minds and hearts of people, we may be more sensitive to - if not more skillful in - preserving our freedoms. But, once freedom is won, what are we to do with it? What does it hold for us? The advantage of freedom from want and fear; freedom of speech; freedom of worship; freedom of assembly; freedom of the press; all these are clear enough, and we know what to do when they are ours. But having achieved all of these - with time to spare - will we know how to use this time to nourish and cultivate rather than to undermine individual freedom?
It's too late to think casually about the problems that unplanned free time will bring. The problems are already here! One answer to the leisure revolution is the church. Churches need to be alert to their opportunities; churches need to be awake and geared up to meet the challenges in our world today. One approach to a church's ministry that has limitless potential is through the effective and planned use of recreation.
It is time for a strong voice to leisure to be heard. Churches could provide that voice. Church leaders of every denomination should be reminded that leisure is neither good nor bad, but rather what matters is what use is made of it.
__________
*Nash, Jay B., Philosophy of Recreation and Leisure. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown, Publishers (1960), p. 25.
posted by DrJ @ 1:04 PM
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