Episode Details

A rarely stated but widely assumed myth of our “information age” is that access to information is the same thing as knowledge or, even worse, wisdom. Another is that time not spent accessing information is wasted, perhaps even immorally so.  

This explains, at least in part, the extent to which people go in order to avoid boredom today. Even brief 30-second intervals at a red light have us grasping for our phones. Most of us are uncomfortable with having “nothing to do,” even for a moment. However, the endless pursuit of feeling “productive,” or at least “informed” is not satisfying. In a new book called Why Boredom Matters, Professor Kevin Hood Gary proposes a  solution to this problem, which he summarizes in the subtitle: “Education, Leisure, and the Quest for a Meaningful Life.”  

Today, “leisure” carries connotations of wealth and laziness, which makes it difficult for Christians to defend. However, since the early modern era, “leisure” has referred to the pursuit of curiosity for curiosity’s sake. German philosopher Josef Pieper called leisure the “basis of culture,” defining it as “everything that lies beyond the utilitarian world.” In other words, to engage in leisure is to have the energy and the will to learn about the world, even when that learning isn’t necessary for survival or wealth. 

Leisure, when understood in this sense, pushes us further into what it means to be human. No other creature engages in leisure like humans do. Animals build dams and burrows to stay warm and survive. Humans need shelter, too, but we decorate them. Not to mention, we also build cathedrals, theme parks, museums, and restaurants. We write sonnets, compose operas, and make eight-course meals. This is the behavior of creatures made in the image of God, a Creator who loves beauty for beauty’s sake. 

Strictly utilitarian societies can be productive and efficient but are, in the end, unsustainable. The Communist experiment of the Soviet Union is an example of what happens when a society is built upon a wrong understanding of the human person. When creativity and imagination are suppressed and individuality rejected, the result is widespread dehumanization. (I’m not just talking about the architecture, although there’s a reason it’s called “brutalist”). 

Still, throughout human history and even under brutal regimes, humans have always found the will and the means to engage in leisure. One of my favorite paintings, by Russian artist Nikolai Yaroshenko, is called Life Is Everywhere. Three men, a woman, and a baby are crammed into