Aristotle on Leisure

Aristotle wrote: “This is the main question, with what activity one’s leisure is filled.”

The greek word for leisure is skole, also the root of the word school.

The greeks believed that leisure was more than the modern concept of simple “time doing nothing” - for them leisure was required so that people could participate in public life (politics), attend school (education), and time for art, friendships, and philosophy (creativity).

And that, for me, means that I don’t want to spend too much time on social media, drinking alcohol, watching television, reading the news, etc. I want to read history and philosophy. I want to spend time with family and friends. I want to create new things.

I don’t want to waste one minute.