The Concept of Leisure and Its Importance to America

What is leisure? It can described as specific types of activity and freedom from obligations. It is the time not spent on taking care of work, family, and oneself. Leisure is a meaningful and satisfying activity, time, experience, or a combination of any of these three factors. With this being said, why, exactly, is the concept of leisure so important to the United States of America and its people?

When most average Americans think of leisure, they might assume that it is simply "sitting around drinking adult beverages with friends" or doing "absolutely nothing." However, there is much more to it than meets the eye. For many of us, especially the older population, we may think that this notion is absolutely ludicrous. This reason for this is that the majority of us were taught by our parents to believe in a "Puritan Work Ethic" type of lifestyle. Yes, I am sure that many of us, at some point in our lives, have heard the phrases time is money or idle hands are the devil's workshop. We are brought up believing that we will get nowhere in life if we are not working hard and trying to stay ahead at all times. Obviously, some of this is true, because the very television you are watching this presentation on was most likely obtained by your own hard work or that of someone in your family. Working and taking care of our families are natural aspects of our lives, however, we must realize that everyone needs to slow down and "take it easy" every once in awhile. Consider your job situation. Ever get rundown and just plain tired of it? Well, surely many of us have heard of the Spanish word, "siesta." It is known to us as a short nap of brief rest. These types of things go on with jobs in other countries. People go to work and have their lunch breaks, just like here in America, but instead of going straight back to their jobs; they go home and take a short rest before returning to work. Some factories even shut down for months at a time to give their employees a break. Sound unbelievable? It is true. Take a moment to imagine how much better your job would be if you had these kinds of perks.

Our leisure experiences begin from the moment we are born. For those of you who have newborn babies, take a moment to consider the day-to-day actions of your precious son or daughter. Babies are indeed fit the ultimate definition of leisure. They are considered to be relaxed in the present, which means, in layman's terms, that they have no worries. This plays an integral part in their proper development. We as parents cater to all of their needs and teach them right from wrong, as well as various other disciplines. However, as babies, toddlers, and on into their young childhood years, they should be given the opportunity to play, relax, and have some fun. These factors greatly enhance the quality of their lives and allow them to find out important things about themselves as people. These early leisure experiences lay a strong foundation for them as they progress into adolescence and will stay will them into their adulthood. Leisure makes their overall quality of life that much better.

Furthermore, leisure is also an important part of America's economy. Tourism is the world's largest industry. We spend millions of dollars each year on theme parks, movies, sporting events, and other attractions. Imagine how much our economy would suffer if we did not have all these types of activities for people to participate in. More importantly, it would take some of that all-important fun out of our lives.

It may seem unreasonable, but leisure is considered an important topic area in scientific studies. The things that people do in their free time tell things about their personality and what kind of image they want to portray to others. Through studying the leisure of various persons, we are able to determine the reasoning behind particular relationships people have with others. Leisure researchers are able to find out exactly why people choose the specific activities that they do.

Leisure activities can be very educational and entertaining experiences. There are professionals in the leisure field who run camps using "adventure training." People working together in companies or corporations may have communications problems at times; they are unable to finish projects because they cannot effectively work well together. Many of you at home are probably familiar with these types of difficulties in your own jobs. Companies will attend these "adventure training" camps in order to take a break from work. They will be put through a variety of different activities to help them solve whatever problems they are having in the workplace. When people go back to work, they are now able to work together and get things done more efficiently than ever before. Wouldn't it be great for your and colleagues to experience something like this yourselves?

I hope that all these factors combined have enhanced the understanding of leisure for Americans. It is of utmost importance to our society that we do not view leisure as wrong and immoral anymore. Remember that leisure is not just "sitting around doing nothing." My fellow Americans, from now on, use your leisure time wisely and cherish it. Think about how much it means to our country. Thank you, and goodnight!