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Current favorite book
Oct. 18th, 2007 08:18 amHow To Be Idle
By Tom Hodgkinson, Harper, 2005
My current favorite book has almost convinced me I should stop trying to put a few more bucks in the pension fund and just retire already. This Brit has written a lovely book on the importance of sleeping in, drinking at the pub, smoking, and all round slacking, which they call skiving in British. He arranges his short essays by time of day; the pleasures of tea are 4 pm, for example. He is very well read, and quotes classical and modern authors on food, drink, and idleness, with a bibliography at the end of the book. He is not merely praising laziness, but also critiquing modern society and its leftover Protestant work ethic values. We don't really need to slave the was we do. Modern consumerism has convinced us we need to work work work and buy buy buy. He points to the fact that at most times in history, people worked fewer hours than we do now. Only from the early 1800s, the time of the Industrial Revolution have people worked long hours many days in a row. It's time to sleep in, have long lunches, go fishing, and go to the pub. Idleness, play. and daydreams lead to creativity and a happier life. Hodgkinson edits a British magazine called "The Idler".
By Tom Hodgkinson, Harper, 2005
My current favorite book has almost convinced me I should stop trying to put a few more bucks in the pension fund and just retire already. This Brit has written a lovely book on the importance of sleeping in, drinking at the pub, smoking, and all round slacking, which they call skiving in British. He arranges his short essays by time of day; the pleasures of tea are 4 pm, for example. He is very well read, and quotes classical and modern authors on food, drink, and idleness, with a bibliography at the end of the book. He is not merely praising laziness, but also critiquing modern society and its leftover Protestant work ethic values. We don't really need to slave the was we do. Modern consumerism has convinced us we need to work work work and buy buy buy. He points to the fact that at most times in history, people worked fewer hours than we do now. Only from the early 1800s, the time of the Industrial Revolution have people worked long hours many days in a row. It's time to sleep in, have long lunches, go fishing, and go to the pub. Idleness, play. and daydreams lead to creativity and a happier life. Hodgkinson edits a British magazine called "The Idler".
