Muddle class leisure

Through all this, however, one crucial aspect has been ignored. Leisure. And it is a question that the burgeoning middle class which according to one commentator is the upper class in the Indian context must address. Indians have a work ethic8217;, but no leisure ethic8217;. This is not unusual; even many Western countries do not have an official leisure ethic. Japan, on the other hand, has government policies that encourage more leisure and recreation. The final test of a civilisation, wrote Bertrand Russell, was the ability to use leisure wisely.

Theoretically, as technology makes everyday living easier to negotiate, it ought to release more time to individuals to use as we would like to. Here is a simple test: do you think your free time has gone up or decreased in the last five years? If yes, how much of that free time is used up merely in television viewing? If no, why not, because as you climb the ladder professionally, shouldn8217;t the gains be both fiscal and physical if it is to be worth it? Medical conditions develop with greater job stress; more managers have blood pressure and heart problems than junior managers. It cannot be a coincidence that companies which recognise that work and leisure are not at the opposite ends of the scale are the ones which have a happier, more productive work force. A workaholic I know has a cartoon placed on his desk to help him keep a balance. It says: On his deathbed, no man ever said, I should have spent more time in the office.8217;

Spending time in the office is steadily becoming outdated too. Despite the progress in communication, it is appalling to see that the morning hour rush8217; and the evening hour rush8217; continue to be features of our city life. Do all those thousands who drive to work really need to be in an office room? Does everyone need to be in an office for eight to ten hours everyday? Isn8217;t there some way of firstly gaining increased leisure time, and secondly putting that time to use into the stages of life that really need them. For example early parenthood?

Time and money are our most scarce resources 8212; this is no startling new discovery, but merely the endorsement of what everyone has known all along. If leisure began and ended with individual convenience, that would be important, but not important enough in our society which is geared to discovering the gains of any situation.

The Academy of Leisure Sciences in the US claims that leisure is becoming the new centre of economy. Worldwide travel and tourism is a three trillion industry. At least three decades ago, economist John Kenneth Galbraith had seen the transition of a post-industrial society from a goods to a service economy. By that reckoning, India is still a step behind, but there is an inevitability about the transition that we must be prepared for. More Indians plan for and take holidays both within the country and outside than ever before. People are more likely to spend money when they are relaxed and on a holiday than during regular work days. The economic advantages of holidays are thus manifold. The physiological and psychological gains to the family apart, there is the greater volume of spending involved. Don8217;t forget that most commercials are aimed at us during our leisure period: when we watch TV or read a magazine, go to a movie or rent a video.

Leisure improves the quality of life. quot;I haven8217;t had a holiday in ten years,quot; is an admission often made with a smug look on the face. This is nothing to be proud of. This is clearly depriving the family as well as the individual of a break. The work cycle has to be broken at some points for the greater good of both the individual and the organisation he works for. For that to happen, however, our attitude towards work must change.

Some years ago, when we were talking to a designer for this newspaper, he accepted he was keen to work, but wanted to know whether we would want him to work in the morning or in the evening. Our lack of sophistication showed up when we asked him, quot;What difference will it make so long as the job is done?quot;

His answer has stayed with me. quot;If you want me to work in the evening, you will have to pay me more,quot; he explained. quot;For that is quality time I spend with my family, and to sacrifice that I would have to be suitably rewarded.quot;

We look enviously at those who manage to drop out of the rat race. Would you give up a day8217;s pay to have an additional day off from work? Leisure may have already become commercialised, and a trade-in like that would merely be in keeping with this!

At some point in the future, our political leaders will realise that thanks to increased efficiency and technology, it takes us far fewer years to get to the standard of living enjoyed by the best of a previous generation. As a consequence, we could be in a position to choose a four-hour working day or an eight-month working year. The remainder of the time would then be our leisure8217; time. The future of civilisation will then depend on how we deal with this leisure. Those of us who follow the lesser part of ourselves will remain lesser people; those who follow the greater will have a chance to become great. It was Nietzsche who said that. It might be a concept too frightening for politicians, so we might not have the choice at all.

But as our Middle Class grows, it will have to deal with the question sooner or later.