Working hours are shorter, so we did substitute some leisure for work. . . People have filled their time to the point of constant complaint of too much to do. He asked how many people in the audience found themselves busier than they would like to be. Many hands were raised. Even with all the problems of the health care system, people do live longer.
People are better educated, too.
Still, leisure appears to be a burden to some people, who use it in a way that some of us do not wholly approve. Forget alcohol, drugs and the fascination with weapons. They were probably around in pre-industrial times. What give us pause are the totally passive activities such as watching TV that are now acceptable. Simon says he includes most forms of surfing the Web in this totally passive category, too.