Editor's Page. . .

TAKE THE SHOCK OUT OF THE FUTURE

by Dr. John R. Allen

For many people in our society leisure time is already proving to be a curse rather than a blessing. The golden age of leisure which has been the dream of mankind through the long centuries of hard work is now a reality. The average American citizen has over 3,000 hours of leisure a year. This sudden introduction of an abundance of leisure time into our societal structure has brought many perplexing problems for the average American. Instead of enjoying leisure, we are consuming leisure. Because of our lack of education for leisure, we value work above leisure and money above recreation.

In the mechanization of industry and in the consequent growth of free time, we are well in advance of other societies, but there are a few signs in this country that we are developing a fresh, vital, and productive culture. We are educating for socialization and not for living.

Unfortunately, there has been little constructive effort applied toward the study of, or planning for, the new age of leisure. The new leisure has been studied more toward its contribution to our economy than to its contribution to our culture and individual growth. Our industrial leaders have viewed the new leisure as an opportunity to sell more goods and to produce different kinds of products to be consumed during free hours.

America has taken the economic approach rather than the educational approach to leisure. Henry Ford, the great inventor and industrialist, admirably expresses this point of view when he said people with more leisure must have additional goods and services. He always contended that increased leisure led to increased consumption which, in turn, led to greater economic production.

Our attention seems to be focused on producing things rather than improving life. We are absorbed in the mechanical processes by which things are created. We have not only systematized our industry, but we have systematized our leisure. Our free hours have taken on the characteristics of our working hours. Just as the mechanization has stereotyped our tasks, so it is stereotyping our leisure. Just as self-expression and creativity in industrial life have been removed from thousands of workers by the processes of mass production, so self-expression and creativity in leisure are being undermined by mechanical devices. Leisure today takes mainly a receptive instead of expressive form. The same forces that have gone into the business of providing our necessities have gone into the business of providing our amusement. "Our souls sit on the bleachers and watch a game played no longer by us but for us."¹

Leisure should mean freedom, but if freedom consists of efficiently entertaining ourselves according to established standards of subjecting ourselves to the passive acceptance of systematic stress reduction, then we are not free. In such an atmosphere of stress and escape of pressure and reaction, personal development cannot easily be maximized. Personal growth is the product of true leisure, of a relaxed schedule, of quiet understanding and acceptance of things for their own sake. The application to a life which reflects the philosophy of mass production must inevitably create a society lacking creativity and expression. We must recognize, in the field of recreation, the fact that individual development and growth and the progress of this country will rise and fall depending upon an individual's ability to effectively use their leisure.

In removing the shock from the future we need to give to leisure the same zestful approach that they give to business and industry. There needs to be recognition of its cultural importance; there needs to be extensive education regarding its significance and use; and there needs to be adequate facilities, equipment, and leadership for its enjoyment. With these supporting developments new leisure can be a reward and a blessing; without them it will become a curse.

1Raymond B. Fosdick, The Old Savage In The New Civilization, New York: Doubleday Doran and Company, 1935, p. 111-113.

Dr. John Allen is an Assistant Professor at Southern Illinois University and Associate Editor of Illinois Parks and Recreation.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 6 January/February, 1980

Illinois Parks and Recreation 7 January/February, 1980