Brain Food #360
Leisure as a means of self-preservation
Daily Brain Food.
Thoughts of the day
Our most valuable asset has always been our time. It is the only thing we were all equally given at birth. For some, it lasts longer than others, but within a day there is the same amount of hours for all.
One of the great myths of our generation is that factoring in leisure in our days is detrimental to one’s productivity and well-being. The more we make, the happier we will be. As Maria Popova wisely wrote, we “mistake making a living for having a life.”
In Leisure: The Basis of Culture, Josef Pieper shares his manifesto in praise of leisure, but also points out that “Leisure is only possible when we are at one with ourselves. We tend to overwork as a means of self-escape, as a way of trying to justify our existence.”
One resolution worth making for 2020, then, is to remember to make time for ourselves, not just as a means of rest but also of self-preservation.
“If you are losing your leisure, look out! -- It may be you are losing your soul.”
- Virginia Woolf