The Importance of Being Lazy: In Praise of Play, Leisure, and Vacations
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Author Description
"The great American fantasy is about leisure: wooded getaways, Caribbean cruises, white-water rafting, the lights of Las Vegas. Yet one in four Americans does not take a vacation at all. We know how to work hard but not how to play. What we really need, argues Al Gini, is some time off. The Importance of Being Lazy takes us on family road trips, to Disneyland, on shopping sprees, on extreme sports adventures, and into the ultimate vacation - retirement - showing why we venerate vacations and why "doing nothing" is a fundamental human necessity. In a witty, breezy tour of our workaholic society, where the summer at the seashore has been supplanted by the long weekend, Gini draws on studies of Americans' vacation habits as well as interviews, personal stories, and the wry observations of philosophers, writers, and sociologists from Aristotle to Mark Twain to Thorstein Veblen. Without true leisure, Gini says, we are diminished as individuals and as a society. The Importance of Being Lazy is our road map for learning how to play, doze, gaze, amble and goof-off without guilt." - back cover.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
The book investigates why Americans, despite a cultural veneration of leisure, increasingly fail to take vacations and argues for the fundamental necessity of play and rest. Al Gini, drawing on studies, interviews, and observations from philosophers and sociologists, contends that a society that only knows how to work hard, not play, is diminished. The work explores various forms of leisure, from family road trips and extreme sports to the ultimate vacation of retirement, highlighting the importance of
THE SCOPE MAP
- Analysis of American vacation habits and the paradox of workaholism.
- Exploration of diverse leisure activities: family road trips, Disneyland, extreme sports, retirement.
- Philosophical and sociological perspectives on play, leisure, and "doing nothing" from thinkers like Aristotle and Mark Twain.
- Discussion on the societal and individual diminishment resulting from a lack of true leisure.
- A guide to embracing guilt-free rest, play, and relaxation.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
The book is framed as a timely examination of a workaholic society's neglect of leisure, suggesting that a lack of vacation and play diminishes individuals and society. It draws on a range of sources, from personal anecdotes to academic studies and philosophical observations, to build its case for the necessity of rest. The author's approach is described as witty and breezy, aiming to provide a roadmap for learning how to engage in leisure activities without guilt. The premise sets up an argument for re-evaluating our relationship with work and rest in contemporary culture.
Page Count:
182
Publication Date:
2006-01-01
Publisher:
Taylor & Francis
ISBN-10:
0415978696
ISBN-13:
9780415978699
Philosophy
Self-help
Non-Fiction
Sociology
Work Life Balance
Leisure
Community Tags
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