Work & Leisure
In this piece, Huxley gives his concomitant sympathy for prolonged labour and the need for leisure.
He speaks of the ‘Golden Age’ when work will be only for four or five hours a day.
The rest of every man's time will be their own.
They will spend as they want.
But then, the question arises, “What are we to do with the leisure provided”.
Huxley takes us to Henri Poincare, Mr. Bernard Shaw, and H.G.wells.
He shares their views on how ‘leisure’ would be used.
Like the prophets said people would spend their leisure on contemplating nature.
Here we are reminded of the ‘lines where the poet says’ ‘what is a life full of care we don’t have time to store?
That they would take an interest in art, love, and society.
Thus, in short, all would build a “higher life.”
They would acquaint themselves ‘with the best that has been thought and said’
The essayists point out on a very serious note that the rich leisured class do not use their time in a healthy way.
They do pretend to devote themselves to the practices of art.
But this is all a snobbery. This is just an escape from boredom.
They do not have any genuine loved for serious thinking.
These people spend their money on visiting Monte Carlo, Nice, Florence, and other rich places.
The essayists tell us how these leisured class people append times on man gongs, Fra Angelico.
Huxley also refers to the little flowers of St. Francis.
Some do occupy themselves with work of charity.
But all this has lost its significance.
These have nothing to do with the ideals of service.
Further, the essayists speak of the un leisured poor class.
They have a brief leisure between their work and slop.
They spend their time in reading the newspaper, looking at cinemas, and watching other people play.
What would happen if there or given prolonged leisure?
Then they would need more cinemas and more newspapers and more matches.
There would be more high Walpole, more dat gould.
All these would increase spiritual maladies-ennui, restlessness, weariness.
Because we all know very well that nature is practically unchanging.
The organism remains the same.
Huxley says another result would be an increase in amorous nature.
Love can only flourish in a society which is well-fed.
We see a strong vision of Huxley, especially when he points out that.
in the coming generation, when all will have leisure.
It will lead to depression and universal dissatisfaction.
To Tolstoy, the whole idea of leisure was abusive and even wicked.
He considered it as conspirator against the welfare of the race.
He performed that the leisured should work.
For him, the social idea was labour for all.
What we are seeing today, Tolstoy had very
Early prophesized that,
People would abandon agriculture and go for synthetic foods.
Mankind would likely to be urbanized than completely ruralized.
According to leisure is more a curse than a blessing.
Most minds do work only under compulsion.
Leisure is only profitable when we desire to work without pressure.
In a society of working minds leisure would be an unmixed blessing.
Further, the essay says that our knowledge of physiology can devise gymnastics and its efficiency.
But when it comes to the knowledge of the growing mind, it is incomplete.
Huxley says that our minds are like the flabby bodies of sedentary city dwellers.
It is inefficient and imperfectly
Intellectual development ceases in childhood.
The essayist speaks of enthusiasm for education with development.
He says we become a trained dog, instead of a dog.
Mathe magically says that one is a dog in comparison to Newton.
Musically compared to between one is a dog.
artistically compared to Lotto one is a dog.
As a tight walk, one is a dog too bland in
In the case of billiard, one is a dog to Newman.
In the case of Boxery, one is a dog to Dempsey.
Thus education can assure every man maximum of mental development.
But then what about those deplorable qualities which are the character of the leisured class?
Huxley says there are educated people who use their leisure as they had never been educated.
Huxley is also positive about education, that when it is really efficient.
It will make people contemplate nature.
Huxley hopes all will be well. But there will always be the problem of how they will spend their leisure.
The philosophers put their UTOPIA, three thousand ahead of 30,000 A.D.
But then we are men and not fossils.
Geologically speaking, these times are all too intent equal in brevity.
Men have a habit of thinking only of themselves, their children and their children.
Huxley says this is not bad to think about our children.
But then thirty thousand hence is a long period.
The bad geological quarter of an hour between the rosy future has to be lived through.
And one problem then will again problem leisure.
The mental habits of the race.
And Nature though improved will make dogs into dogs.
The question is still left unanswered as to, “How people will fill their Leisure”.
By contemplating the laws of nature, like Henri Poincare.
Or they will pass their leisure reading News of the World? Asks Huxley at the end.
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