Why are holidays so short?
Back in the 1960s all talk of the future was of the coming Age of Leisure, with production of goods and other repetitive tasks carried out efficiently using modern technology, thereby reducing working hours and leaving us with loads of free time to relax, pursue pastimes and develop artistic and cultural activities.
So what happened? An unholy alliance of insatiable consumer greed for unnecessary goods together with a rampant market economy has trapped us on the treadmill and forced us to work ever longer hours. So much for the Age of Leisure!
If we reverted to a 1960s standard of living, using current technology and equitably distributed, we could all have much longer holidays...and be a lot happier too.
Felix Ansell, Bradford, UKWow... When I read that, it caused me to pause, reflect and think, heck yes! So, we have a recession, people are going nuts with fear they could lose their job, and homes, and cars etc.
Well, I lost my car, and I am surviving. I also find that as much as I really miss my car, there is a sense of relief from trying so hard to keep up with payments and insurance. In some ways, I got thrown head long into another aspect of "Going Green". Could this 'going green' also help us bring about the Age of Leisure? Think about it. If more energy was spent on artistic and cultural activities, the defect in public education would be slowly but surly eliminated. If more Leisure lead to more gardens, we have more healthy air. More local actives, can spread to disfranchised communities too. Helping them become a part of the franchised and not out of it. Grow food at home and share. Local Art, Music, Theater contest around holidays.
No I am not talking Utopia here, be nice, but not realistic. We can however work towards a more sustaining lifestyle not only for Earth, but humans too.
So, how about this holiday, no use of Credit cards (to be sucked in paying off next year), gifts can be practical, thoughtful, or best of all, time well spent. Do you know how to build something, then help someone using that talent. Know how to scrap book? Offer to put their photos together in a great way and out of the drawer! Find ways to create Leisure and use it to produce an Age of Giving...
One by one Johnny Appleseed planted seeds. We can do the same with the seeds of Leisure and pull the weeds of greed.
Thanks for taking the journey with me,
Nancy Louise
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