The Cult of Leisure

When significant numbers of Europeans began to visit the new world in the early 1800's, they were amazed with the extent of the transformation (Rodgers, 1978). Visitors to the northern states were particularly impressed by the industrious pace. They often complained about the lack of opportunities for amusement, and they were perplexed by the lack of a social strata dedicated to a life of leisure.

History of Work Ethic

There have been certain great advances in the wellbeing of humanity. The first point is when our primate ancestors left the trees to forage abroad and to hunt game. This lead to finding richer stores of calories and the explosion of intelligence in the species. The second great advance occurred when hunter-gatherers abandoned their nomadic wanderings to work their livestock and land. This lead to the explosion of civilization. The third great advance occurred during the Protestant Reformation when work became valued for its own sake instead of seen as a curse engaged in to prevent starvation and poverty. This lead to an explosion in commerce, the Industrial Revolution, and the modern age.

These great advances may seem unrelated, but they all have a common thread. They were innovations in the way of working. They were all moves from subsistence to surplus. The result was a dramatic increase in prosperity and wellbeing. What holds true on the social level also holds true on the personal level. Those with great work ethics such as immigrants experience dramatic increases in their personal wellbeing. People who work hard do better. They enjoy their lives more. They have better levels of health. They consume less and enjoy greater financial security. But despite these truths, the work ethic is under assault by a school of thought I refer to as the Cult of Leisure.

The Cult of Leisure is a throwback to the days before John Calvin and the Puritans changed their world with their work ethic. The Cult of Leisure believes that work is a curse. You work to pay bills, and that's it. Work is the antithesis to life. The result is that they work as little as possible, and they do the least amount while on the job. They revel in their weekends, holidays, and vacations. They obsess over their pay and their benefits and getting paid vacation. And they spend money they do not have on toys and getaways. The result is that they tend to be impoverished, angry, and what have you. These are the miserable complainers on your job that don't do anything but believe they deserve more. And if you ask them, they are the hardest working folks on the job, but anyone else who works harder is a dumb ass and a moron and a sucker.

The Leisure Cultists are just lazy fools. They see no relationship between labor and wellbeing. They derive no joy or pleasure from their work. As much as they pursue the good life, it eludes them. That is the irony. The leisure lifestyle is unsustainable. Work is where it is at.

Government doesn't help matters. Laws and regulations limiting the work week make it harder for the workaholics to enjoy themselves beyond 40 hours a week. For salaried employees, they are harangued constantly about the work/life balance as if work was anti-life. But work is life. Work is how we express ourselves, serve others, provide for ourselves, and experience flow. Work is happiness.

Mark Twain best exemplified the difference between work and leisure with his famous story of Tom Sawyer whitewashing the fence. The difference between work and play came from the obligation. A farmer tills the soil and curses while a vegetable gardener gets on her hands and knees to weed plants and enjoys it. What is the difference? It is the obligation.




Being obliged to work is what makes people hate to work. This feeling of obligation comes from the necessity to work in order to live. But you have to eat to live, and no one hates eating. No one hates sleeping which is also necessary to live. Yet, we hate working. Work is anathema. Why?

This is simply an attitude of the mind. People hate work because they are cultured to hate work. They see it as drudgery. They see people who work as fools while praising people in the idle class of corporate management and government bureaucracy. Much of people's infatuation with expensive toys is to show they belong to a higher class of leisure. Ultimately, leisure is status.

People don't have fun on vacations. I know I don't. When I was a kid, I dreaded family vacations. Vacations were supposed to be fun, but I found most of the time I was bored out of my mind while trying to get away from my old man's incessant bitching and whining. I used to dread the summers. At some point, the old man abandoned the vacation thing. I've never had another vacation in my life since I was a kid. I am quite happy with this. When deprived of work, I go home and read and tend to my chores and wish I was back at work.

I don't care about status, so I don't care about vacations. I don't admire people with positions. I admire people who work hard. One of my private heroes isa man in my town who runs a service station six days a week and tends to his rental properties on his seventh day of "rest." He also likes to party hard on a Saturday night dancing late into the night. He is well into his sixties. They will probably find him dead with an oil filter in his hand. I envy people like this.

Throughout the history of work, the Cult of Leisure has been the status holders and seekers. In medieval and ancient times, it was the aristocracy. In our times, it is the technocrats and bureaucrats and the politicians. Even the mode of dress delineates the lazy from the hard working. Lazy folks wear starched white shirts, polished shoes, and ties. Hard working folks wear denim, steel toe boots, and hard hats. But despite the wardrobe, the work ethic is a mindset not an occupation. I know some information workers who put in a lot of hours and love it while I know some blue collars who are absolute slackers. Jay Leno has a cushy job, but he brings a blue collar work ethic to what he does.

The reason work is seen as a curse is because it is considered demeaning. It is a loss of status. There are people who remain unemployed because they are too proud to take a lower position somewhere else. They would rather sit at home collecting a check and hoping someone will reward this idleness with another high paying position. Taking a lesser job marks a psychological turning point and a loss of status. Having to work hard indicates that you are poor and need the money. This is called "wage slavery." Nevermind that slavery is a relic. Everyone refers to working for a living as some form of slavery. But people have the option to quit. They just don't have the option of having other people pay their bills for them. In essence, they want to be slaveholders since it is the rest of society that must work to pay for these slackers.

The Cult of Leisure is strong. Consider this wild idea--working seven days a week. To do such a bold thing would be a revolutionary act. No days off. Just working. Your friends and family will think you are crazy. You won't have time to do the "fun" stuff like watching football games or otherwise goofing off. But where is the loss? People react strongly when I tell them these activities are a waste of life. But what do you get from this idleness? You don't get rest. This is what you get from sleep. You don't get knowledge. This is what you get from reading and study. Basically, you get nothing.

Human beings are not machines, and even machines need downtime for maintenance. But leisure time should be limited. It should not consume valuable productive hours or resources. The pattern of life is such that leisure and social interaction happen in the evening. This is the legacy of agriculture. Culture and leisure activities comprise a large part of existence and are important. This blog is the product of leisure. But leisure costs. It eats up time and money. This is why leisure can only be a small part of your life. It can be a greater part if you are willing to live in poverty. This is why poor people are noted for their addiction to daytime TV and why the Jerry Springer show is so goddamn awful. It is the unemployed and the human garbage that watch this programming because they are slackers with no jobs. This is the good life?

As I enter this Labor Day weekend, I am a bit nauseated that we celebrate working people by not working. On a personal level, I can't take it anymore. My own wish is to work more. Work makes me feel better. It makes me feel vital. It keeps me busy. It makes me happy. The reason I don't work more is simple. It is the social pressure. Fuck it. I am unconventional. I reject the Cult of Leisure. It is time to work more and feel good about it.


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NOTES

1. The Cult of the Job

2. Protestant Work Ethic

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