John Maynard Keynes made a prediction in 1930 that went something like this.
Assuming productivity levels continued to rise, his grandchildren and great grandchildren would likely have to work only 15 hours a week. The rest would be leisure. The real problem, continued Keynes, would be, how to use the leisure time to live wisely and agreeably and well.
Some thoughts from BBB:
Is it because human desire goes beyond basic needs?
Is it because we chose to live in places that require commuting?
Is it because we never addressed the real problem as defined by Keynes, which was to work out how to use leisure time?
Do we actually take leisure on the job, ie coffee breaks, social media, chatting?
Is it because we love what we do and chose to work?
Do we believe we can only really enjoy leisure if we have worked hard?
Maybe his prediction was right and we do only work 15hours, if work is defined a certain way?
So the question I leave you with today is, why don't we have the leisure that Keynes predicted we'd have by now?
Hi, i recently listened to a flemish trendwatcher -Herman Konings- and he mentoinned in his pitch that researchers had proven that the average person in West-EU between 30-50 have 7hours less leisure time than the same group in late sixties, early seventies...interesting statement in comparison with the one you mentionned....technology keeps evolving, more ans more time consuming tasks without additonal value are automated ...and hence our world has become so complicated that having "time" for leisure becomes a spare good...or do we define and experience time differently and what impacts that perception....less control of it, higher expectations of the society, desire of and and instead of or.... Rgards, HH
ReplyDeletelove this. the answer seems to be yes to all your questions:-)
ReplyDelete