A chronic affliction of the American mind is the backwards notion that leisure serves work and not the other way around. Catholic philosopher Josef Pieper that people work to afford the luxury of leisure time. After all, that’s ultimately why retirement plans and pensions are coveted parts of workers’ compensation packages.
Yet most people are under the mistaken belief that the value of leisure is as a cool down period that freshens us up to do more work. But taken to its logical conclusion, that view leads to an infinite vicious cycle.
Now, the stumbling block that trips up most people in regard to labor and leisure is the corruption of the latter term’s meaning. As originally understood, “leisure” didn’t mean “idleness”. Instead, it was meant as time to engage in intellectual or spiritual pursuits. Think painting icons or practicing lectio divina.
Medieval monks understood that concept and its importance. They also had a firm dedication to work, which some might see as contradictory. But along with the communists, American capitalists embraced one half of the great both/and. Sharing all goods in common was particular to the monastic life, and Marx erred by trying to universalize religious vows. Similarly, capitalists downplayed the ora helf of ora et labora.
The leisure we’re now given to reflect on the value of work is the special blessing of Labor Day. Yes, it’s a chance to attend cookouts and catch up with family. But it’s also a keen reminder that a man’s value is not measured by what he produces.
Today we rest from our labors. So let’s make this year count and throw ourselves into leisure with as much enthusiasm as we do the daily grind.
The most iconic leisure activity is, of course, reading. And I’m here to help with the Lord of Fate Labor Day Limited Offer.
Claim this limited-time reward to get …
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The Lord of Fate, Burned Book, and all Soul Cycle eBooks
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All of the above books in paperback, signed by yours truly
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Our glorious LoF t-Shirt
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The brand-new Lord of Fate poster – also signed
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A signed LoF bookmark
That monster haul would run you $150+ if you claimed each reward on its own. But today, that hefty hoard of dark fantasy treasure can be yours for just $99 + shipping.
So back the Lord of Fate campaign now. Because when Labor Day ends, so does this offer.
P.S. When last we spoke on Friday, the Lord of Fate novel had recently funded. Not only did we reach our first stretch goal over the weekend, we smashed the second goal and are well on our way to unlocking the third. That means we’re just a stone’s throw from the LoF deluxe edition, featuring an alternate hardcover based on this Marcelo Orsi Blanco sketch:
Get us to $5K. Unlock the alternate hardcover. Pledge now.
Ironically, the best take I’ve ever seen on how important leisure time is compared to the daily grind comes from an anime, GATE. Mind you, he was speaking about otaku hobbies rather than spiritual pursuits or other intellectual matters, but I think his point was still valid.
“I work to support my hobby. So If you asked me which I’d choose, my job or my hobby, my hobby takes priority.” – Youji Itami
One place you can very clearly see the shift in “leisure” is in Dungeons and Dragons.
In the age of Gygax, Arneson, etc. the expectation was that the game would be played in some kind of clubhouse, i.e. a place set aside for leisurely pursuits like wargaming and model creation. Most likely a hobby shop, but not necessarily. There would be a large group of people all excited to take part in the hobby (the original rules predict a group of 5-50 people, with 20 probably being the most common number since this is said to be the number of players that a referee, i.e. a DM, should expect to manage.) Each participant contributes towards the creation of the ongoing fantasy world. Certainly the referee will have to do much, but the players drive it forward through their decisions as to where to raid, where they want to develop a stronghold, and especially how they struggle with other groups of players.
You can see the expectations slowly shift over time. The communal aspect was the first to go; by the 90’s rather than happening at a hobby shop with a large group of rotating players it was more likely to take place at the DM’s house with the 2-4 other people that he could finally convince to come over. The amount of player agency also dramatically dropped, putting the burden on the DM to create practically everything, turning things from a hobby into a chore. As such more and more groups relied on premade modules, taking agency away even from the DM.
Today mainstream D&D is more of a consumerist collection affair than a creative hobby. For most groups there will be a lot of enthusiasm from the DM when creating a world (before the players have ruined it by playing in it) and the players when creating their characters, but it will die down quickly after the first few real sessions, especially as scheduling conflicts and disagreements from the player as to what the game is supposed to be about dominate the discussion. So the group disbands, and everyone goes back to buying more books and other merchandise. The only things being generated when people are actually playing D&D these days are drama and stress.
Now this is just one example of how things have shifted, but it is a pattern that you can see across many fields. “Leisure” is almost entirely passive, consumerist, and non-creative. The top science fiction fan now is not the guy eagerly discussing things with his friends as he prints a fanzine, or later as he updates his personal website. It’s the guy who has consumed the most product so that he can continue to consume product.
Agreed. One need only visit Gen Con to see how consumerism, especially conspicuous consumption, has overtaken the hobby.
Bradford Walker has the right of it: make a protected Clubhouse for your RPG group, or become part of the money extorting Machine. There is no longer a middle ground.
Well, there is the third option: quit. One I’m considering, as I’m not particularly interested in the wargaming/Diplomacy/PvP model of the Clubhouse, or the two Death Cult strongholds that dominate the mainstream hobby.
I’m glad that my hobby of wargaming still involves the assembly and painting of little plastic men (and elves!). It still feels a bit creative. I don’t buy any Games Workshop products anymore, though, if I can help it.
That sounds based.