In Praise of Idleness...

I would like to think it possible to praise idleness, for why do we consider it a sin? "The devil finds work for idle hands" is a commonly used phrase in society and speaks volumes I think, not about idleness itself, but about that upon which we place value. The individual who works hard, battling day after day with the grievances and frustrations of a quickly paced lifestyle, all determination and desperation to achieve a b or c, is considered above those who take something of a slower step in life. But why must we exhaust ourselves? Appreciation of form and art can be lost in the rush of life, so why not take the time to look around us, to examine the faces that pass us by instead of glimpsing only the blurry expressions of man or woman, heads bent hands shoved in pockets, desperate to reach their destination and oblivious to the world that surrounds them. To feel guilty for taking 'time out' if you will, is absurd, though we all feel this. It is as if such associations of feelings have been inbuilt into our systems; too long sitting down and simply reflecting urges us to 'do something productive...' Why is it not productive to just sit? Surely many things can be done whilst sitting? Reflection, for me, is possibly one of the most important things that a thinking human being can do, as it allows us to process our thoughts and take a firmer grip on the understanding of these thoughts. The longer we sit, the longer we can reflect and the longer we can reflect, the clearer our ideas will become. To understand ourselves and our desires and to begin to know who we are beneath all the complexities of the external, must lead to some sort of sublime happiness. One could argue that idleness and leisure should not be guilty pleasures, but simply pleasures in themselves. Though two different things, (idleness is simply 'doing nothing in particular' leisure can be seen as active,) they should both be as pleasurable as possible. With leisure, although supposedly attempting to relax, it would appear that we still should be doing something of worth, whilst spending as little unnecessary money as possible. Why? Why should I not leisurely spend as much money as I possibly can on things that I don’t particularly need if I have the means to do so? And why is it that afterwards I should feel guilty for ‘treating myself’ and work extra hard the next day doing as much unnecessary work as possible? This to me seems ridiculous, and I am overjoyed to find that a highly regarded academic and philosophical thinker agrees;


"What people who say such things forget, is that what man earns he usually spends and in spending he gives employment. As long as a man spends his income, he puts as much bread into peoples mouths in spending.." (Bertrand Russell 1932)

I have decided then that, to leisurely spend our money and then in turn, idly gaze at the items purchased, is a splendid thing.
Firstly it keeps the world moving, keeps money in peoples pockets (we only have to look at the current recession to find evidence of the problems that can occur when people tend to spend less,) and secondly encourages the fine and necessary art of idleness.

Sit now for a few minutes and take a listen to this song. Then afterwards, sit for a further few moments and think about the wonders of simply being able to do so.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=2VByVSIhSpU