Enforced Leisure

IN BASIC TERMS, enforced leisure is simply free time which is forced upon an individual. It is the exact opposite from the most accepted definition of "leisure" in that there is no choice involved. Leisure is a block of free time in which we are free to choose what we do. At the core of the meaning of leisure is that it is time left over after we meet the obligations of life. But enforced leisure is quite different. Enforced leisure - which often comes as a complete surprise - makes demands on our hours and days, and it sometimes can stretch into weeks or longer. Most often, enforced leisure is not a pleasant experience.

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My most recent personal experience with enforced leisure started at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. It was there during the last week of August that I had laparoscopic surgery for prostate cancer under the skillful hands of Dr. Gerald Andriole. Thankfully, I am now at home in southwest Missouri going through the recovery process. For me, this total period of enforced leisure is expected to be somewhere between six and eight weeks.

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Another example of enforced leisure is when a person is sentenced to a period of time in jail or in prison. Certainly that individual did not choose the sentence, nor will it be pleasant. In yet another example, some scholars and practitioners suggest that demanding involvement of a child in a leisure activity on a playground is a form of enforced leisure. This would especially be true if the child did not want to play the game or be involved in the particular activity.

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Of course, all of us would prefer not to have leisure forced upon us. No doubt, all of us would strongly desire to choose real leisure activities in whatever free time we have after doing all the things we must do to survive and live in this world. But, perhaps a good question is this: how will we deal with the challenges that come our way if and when we are faced with periods of enforced leisure? Hopefully, with God's help, we will have what it takes to get through the experience with a sufficient amount of patience.

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-- Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri is shown in the photo above.