Without Work, There Can Be no Leisure - Coursework Example

WITHOUT WORK, THERE CAN BE NO LEISURE Your Name Course Title Professor’s Name Date Without work, there can be no leisure There could be no better time to redefine the correlation between work and life in the contemporary world than now. The world is becoming smaller thanks to technology and innovation and global economies are involved in relentless efforts to transform the economic fortunes of the societies. As a result, leisure and work are gaining a more economic facet; both in definition and practice (Haworth & Veal 2004, p.88). In the conventional setting, there has been a point of agreement that leisure and time are related and they exist interdependently. As a result, it would be impossible to define one without the other or worse still, embrace one in isolation from the other. Leisure and work are separated by some core aspects but this does not affect the way their relationship is built and the contribution of this correlation to the overall social and economic structure of the society. This paper highlights the correlation between work and its impact on leisure. Work and leisure are defined on the same platform in the face of rigorous physical and mental involvement in social and economic structuring of the society in the 21st Century despite the fact that the gap between them is growing by day. As countries invest in industries, there is an increased workload and employees are spending a large portion of their time at the workplace. In the same scale, the economic hardships are forcing people to forego free time in favor of making extra cash even after work (Gelber 2013, p.13). Whereas work and leisure are strongly linked, this relationship is not automatically beneficial; but this does not defeat the fact that they stay connected and understood from the economic, political and social perspectives. Additionally, work and leisure have a huge contribution to make towards the wellbeing of an individual and the society in entirety (Blackshaw 2010,p.101). In turn, the relationship between work and leisure in the 21st century is mostly argued from the economic point of view. What value do they add to the society or person? Out of this thinking comes a school of thought that leisure and work complement one another to shape the society in terms of spending time. Work can be defined in several ways but those meanings are based on one common denominator; financial gain. According to Overell (2009,p.16), work refers to any physical or social activity that culminates in financial compensation. It is a regular or occasional undertaking that people engage in as a source of livelihood. Accordingly, the meaning of work is manifested in the satisfaction that a person derives from it and as such, any activity that does not meet such conditions is prone to be considered a waste of time. Eichler and Matthews (2004,p.47) define work from an economic dimension as a collection of activities which culminate in the production of goods and services to satisfy one and/or for financial gain. Therefore, the meaning of work from the economic frontier is universal among all communities because we all need these essential goods for survival. Work is the engine that drives the society and makes the environment inhabitable; it creates wealth and empowers people to meet other obligations that combine to make a comfortable life. In the same context, the amount of work done is dependent on the degree to which one desires to achieve certain ends. If an individual can work for a few hours a day and be able to satisfy his needs, this is permissive. However, this should be in line with the overall structure and schedule of the working environment. Man simply works to achieve something in the end. Thus, if there is no foreseeable gain in sight, work has no meaning (Becchetti, Ricca & Pelloni 2012,p 453-490). Leisure and work are perhaps literally intertwined in that they both involve some activity although the intensity varies (Stebbins 2015,p.71). Consequently, leisure can be defined across various contexts because the meanings and their suitability varies from one person to another. Unlike work, leisure has little obligation and is undertaken out of volition. According to Duncan (2013,p.67), leisure is the opposite of work in the doctrines of economics. He asserts that “a man finds his true and lasting happiness in his work and that leisure-time is, from any serious point of view, simply wasted time, time frittered away, and unproductive time”. In this context, leisure can be seen as an activity that does not add any financial value to the person undertaking it. Within this definition lies a strong indication that man’s activities are meant to add monetary value and if they are not, then they can be deemed to be meaningless. This explains the changing nature and place of leisure in the modern society. Leisure is seen as a direct contradiction of the gospel of work. Leisure, in definition and practice is often confused with idleness but it is worth noting that the latter simply implies doing nothing while the former includes some activity like sport, swimming, singing or reading (Blackshaw 2010,p.141). Whichever the paradigm from which leisure is defined, it is certain that it is earned. Leisure time is obtained after work has been done; it is not as necessary as work especially from the economic point of view (Eichler & Matthews 2004,p.130). This explains why leisure was originally preserved for men because they worked more and needed time for recuperation. The history of leisure dates back to the era of western civilization, around 5th BC and it was solely associated with happiness. It was perceived that men desired leisure because it was the only thinkable way of getting happiness after a day’s hard work (Becchetti, Ricca, & Pelloni, 2012, p.479). Work was related to negativity and something that could not satisfy man and as a result, he required a strenuous-free exercise to experience that ultimate happiness that makes life fulfilling. In totality, the place of leisure in the modern society is disputable if it comes before productive work has been done. Additionally, with the growing pressures of life, it could be meaningful to remove the element of “free” from the definition of leisure. Leisure time can be transformed into an opportunity to add social or economic value to a person and in such scenario, it makes more economic sense. Work and Leisure are balanced in a universal relationship because fulfillment of one culminates in the need for the other. However the amount of time spent on each activity varies, it is automatic that we cannot work all days nor can we do leisure activities all time round. Ideally, work comes first in all spheres (Gelber 2013,p.16). We have to work to satisfy the basic human wants that sustain life. This is the most critical part of any functioning community and as such, it commands much of the time at the disposal of man. People work to be paid; they can as well start up their businesses and work around them to have the financial capacity to maintain life. In this regard, the availability of leisure time is dictated by the amount of work (Jiménez 2014,p.170). In the contemporary workplace however, this notion is having a negative impact on the work-leisure balance. In equal measure, leisure has an important role to play in the satisfaction of human life; the same way work does. Leisure cannot have meaning if it happens on a regular basis. It would make meaning and add value if it comes after spending so much time working. Therefore, work is a product of demanding work. Leisure is time spent to refresh away from the stress of work and presents one with an opportunity to get closer to the society, family and doing constructive work that brings social satisfaction (Eichler & Matthews 2004,p.53). The desire for extended leisure time is justified but is not possible because too much of it becomes boring and economically meaningless. From the economical point of view also, leisure time when spent on generating income, culminates in work (Haworth & Veal, 2004, p.77). Take for instance a teacher who spends time after school to offer private tuition to students is creating another job. However, in this sense, the teacher is doing that out of volition rather than obligation because with time, he can decide to terminate the business. In the same setting, leisure time cannot be found in separation from work because we all cannot have leisure at the same time. Every person desires leisure but we get it at different stages and in different times. In a society dependent on work to sustain life, leisure can only be accorded to a person if this does not hurt the economic flow of the society (Mojza et al. 2010,p.57). Literally, if we all take time off our duties, then the society will come to a standstill; leisure and work have to run concurrently for life to make economic and social sense. On the same note, leisure often involves spending some money-which has to be earned through work. Perhaps this relationship from such a dimension is implying that leisure activities are expensive. Whether this holds some truth or not, remains contentious but from the economic point of view, the booming tourism and entertainment business explains this trend (Jiménez, 2014,p.173). According to a recent survey by UK’s Big Hospitality, on average a working Britton spends 15% of their monthly income on leisure (Stebbins 2015,p.89). This income is drawn from work and other activities that generate income. However, the rising expenditure on leisure activities does not automatically imply that the income is also growing as this might be out of the inconsistency occasioned by misplaced priorities or the use of leisure as a remedy for the hardships of life for example spending on alcohol. Leisure and work in this context are also tied on the basis of economic necessity. Money earned after work has to be spent in other activities (leisure) to contribute to the economic growth of the society (Mojza., et al, 2010, p.60). In fact, work places in the contemporary world include bars, restaurants, hotels, tourist sites and hospitality industries. If the necessity of leisure is overlooked, the economic equation becomes incomplete and hurts the economy substantively. The relationship between leisure and work can also be viewed from the way both of them contribute to the wellness of man. Along the four pillars identified in week 9, leisure contributes to economic and social health of a person and the community at large. For social health to thrive, there ought to be economic health and vice versa. What really contributes to economic health and social health? Fundamentally, money facilitates virtually all the undertakings of life. Work attracts wages that people use to buy goods and services which make life healthy (Rojek 2013, p19-33). Work is a gateway to a better life and the satisfaction that comes from the security that comes with the assurance that one is able to meet all financial obligations without much strain. Whereas money earned from work can do this much, it also contributes to lifestyles that have a negative impact on the body and social life of man. In similar scale, man cannot live comfortably in economic health; he needs social health as well (Becchetti, Ricca, & Pelloni 2012, p.484). With economic empowerment, the needs of man move to another level; the need for affection and appreciation. Work can yield promotions and wage hikes but this does not fully make life a comfort. In Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy, a promotion at the workplace does not make the cycle complete, instead creates room for another need. This is how work and leisure relate-once money is earned, the economic part is satisfied and in turn the need for social health emerges (Gelber 2013, p.97). Therefore, as money provides economic health, leisure facilitates social health and as such, the two cannot exist in isolation. Overall, the relationship between work and leisure has a long history that dates back to the civilization period. The two cannot exist in isolation from the political, social or economic perspective. It is from this relationship that man survives by accumulating wealth and having the time and space to spend this wealth for general wellbeing. The importance attached to labor might have diminished over time because of the increasing need for money; but it does not mean that it is broken. Perhaps from the economic point of view leisure is seen as detrimental but since man owns the ability to transform leisure into a money generating opportunity further cements this relationship. References Becchetti, L., Ricca, E. G., & Pelloni, A. 2012. 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A. 2015. Between work and leisure: The common ground of two separate worlds. Transaction Publishers. .Rojek, C. 2013. Is Marx still relevant to the study of leisure?. Leisure Studies, 32(1), 19-33. Rojek, C. 2013. Capitalism and Leisure Theory (Routledge Revivals). Routledge. Read More