The Importance of Leisure, and 8 activities you can engage in now!
By: Nelly Huntley
Tags: Leisure, Mindfulness, Consumerism, Entertainment, Economy

The history of consumer culture…..

So when did “consumer culture start? It started in the 1920’s, originating in the United States, as factories started emerging and the production of goods was streamlined, making them cheaper and easier to produce in less time. This meant that goods were more readily available to the public, and with the expansion of the credit card, Americans started to buy more and more. It emerged as more Americans started to buy more things they didn’t necessarily need, but that they wanted to show off status or to fill their home spaces with entertainment or luxury items. Americans started to buy bigger houses to accommodate more of their belongings, also doubling their commute to work and decreasing the amount of leisure time they had (Corbett, 2006). The productivity of workers has actually doubled, but it is only so that we may purchase more goods to use in the shrinking free time that we still have.

Roles of consumption in our daily lives…..

Our daily lives are filled with consumption. We are influenced by what the current market is trying to sell us, whether we are aware of it or not. This is evident in all types of lifestyles, even ones that are considered “environmentally friendly”. Consumerism is woven into our very culture, and we look to the market for a sense of fulfillment and purpose, we buy things to build our identities. Our beloved things show the world who we are, and if we were to suddenly find ourselves without them, we would have to face our inner selves and ask the terrifying question; “who are we really?” Since marketing techniques are entirely emotionally driven, we have a harder time passing on opportunities to buy the latest and greatest goods that we desire, because they satisfy our momentary desires so well. But what they don’t do as well, is fulfill our long-term needs of social belonging and life satisfaction. The marketing world is trying to persuade you to buy things that you don’t need, as they portray it as an absolute necessity (Corbett, 2006).

Leisure? What’s that?

To escape our long workdays, we often engage in leisure activities. However, today’s definition of leisure is completely different than the definition of leisure in the past. Leisure can be defined by Aristotle as “the self-sufficient activity of the mind, a mind which is its own best company, one which is not dependent on external stimuli for its action.” This is an activity that we can engage in anywhere, without spending a penny, and yet we are still encouraged to spend money on leisure activities and gadgets/toys that we use in our “leisure” time. Leisure today is described as “time spent not working,” which is very vague, and has the remnants of our consumerist culture. By today’s definition, leisure activities could include biking, driving, going to the gym, watching tv, or anything else. However, these are not up to par with the original definition by Aristotle for two reasons. One, they are not “self-sufficient activities of the mind,” as they require outside equipment or stimulus like the output from a television or the help of a bicycle or gym equipment. Two, most of these activities require a monetary commitment to achieve, whether that be buying the equipment or paying for a membership to the gym.