Book recommendation: The Importance of Leisure

In the past I have occasionally recommended a book that I felt readers of this blog and others like it would find interesting- books like Crunchy Cons or Neither a Liberal nor a Conservative Be. Today I am recommending a book that on the surface may seem like an odd choice- but bare with me.

Joseph Pieper's Leisure: The Basis of Culture is a fascinating if complex read. The premise behind this short volume is that we have moved into a world of total work and in doing so have lost, or are loosing, some of what makes us human. Pieper explains that the ancient Greeks and medieval philosophers understood and valued leisure and that it has been the first foundation of any culture.

He tells how our world of total labor has destroyed classical leisure, and warns that unless we recover true silence, unless we experience true leisure, we will destroy our culture-and ourselves.

To me this is a very conservative message in the truest sense of the word. We need to conserve that which makes us what we are. The current ethic of work for work's sake is best seen in light of the coming holiday season. What should be a joyous time of family reunion turns into a second job for many- between decorating, shopping and party going they need a vacation to recuperate from the holidays. Turning everything into work is exactly what Pieper is warning us about.

If you'd like a more in depth review please see my new article at Suite101: Joesph Pieper, on Leisure the Basis of Culture.