I agree. It also depends on how you define "leisure". To me, leisure = free time, which is best spent on hobbies, reading, praying, learning, the arts, and yes...even entertainment. Moderation. If someone uses "leisure" to sit around all day, that's just laziness. On the other hand, if you like to sit around all day, and you disguise this by "reading holy books" this can ALSO be lazy.
One could argue, as Thomas Walsh wrote in his book, that the 13th is the "greatest of centuries". It was the height of Christendom, the height of Catholic living and an ordered life focused on God. It was also the height of the arts, and architecture, music, stain-glass windows, etc.
Many nowadays would classify "the arts" as leisure. They might be right, as it's not physical labor/work. But leisure time is not necessarily laziness nor wrong. It all depends on what you're doing.
Yes, it's easy to look at leisure time and think it is an evil in itself, but has everything to do with how we spend that time, not that we have the time. We aren't Protestants who think we must be working always. I take it as a great blessing to have leisure time, which, honestly, is actually pretty few and far between if you have multiple kids and work 45-50 hours per week.
Without a doubt!!!! Internet, video games, TV, movies, sports, hero worship of musicians, actors, athletes. Starbucks, fast food, pre-made foods, chips, snacks, ice cream ALL just one minute away[....] Cars, Dish washers, washing machines, air conditioning, public safety ALL give us free time for all that garbage that only the super rich could have before:
But when the fit hits the shan, I suspect that that easy life will be all over.
Sure, they can lead to vice. But many of these things are great blessings from God, especially since we have much less time for leisure than any other point in human history today. It's almost like we have to be busy with something, either at an employer or running a business or making ends meet. There's a reason people are so stressed out and suicidal these days.
And honestly, if it weren't for internet, I would not have converted to true Catholicism, or even become Catholic at all. Most of us, unless raised traditional, probably wouldn't be traditional Catholics.
Topic: Do we spend too much time on leisure? (Read 4867 times)