The Leisure Experience

Introduction

Leisure experience, the first thing that comes to my mind is enjoying myself on the beach, sunbathing and relaxing, watching my favourite movie and spending the night watching stars. Leisure experience can be different to various people. Swimming, playing golf, walking your dog, reading a book, cooking your favourite food, travelling, etc. are some examples of leisure activities. Leisure is the free time from work, business and education. During my free time, I like to go swimming in the sea, lying on the beach, cook and bake my favourite food and play with my dog. Everyone must have different things they like to do in their free time and leisure is one of the most important elements in a person’s life. David K. Howard and Mary Ellen Young (2002) have underlined that “Participation in healthy and constructive leisure should be an important and meaningful part of every person’s life. Whether considered as free time away from work, a set of activities chosen for relaxation, recreation or reflection, leisure is valued by people as an important feature of life.”

This essay will first briefly talk about the concept of leisure and examine how philosophers relate leisure to other concepts. This essay will then discuss how I propose to put philosophy of leisure in my future life and in the life of others.

Concept of leisure

Leisure, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is the “Time that spent doing what you enjoy when you are not working or studying”. Winnifrith and Barrett (1989) define leisure as free time and time free from necessity. In other words, leisure is considered as the time free from work and duties, but one should bear in mind that, not everything one does in the free time is leisure. Barrett (1989) has written that doing what one wants to do is a necessary condition for leisure. Therefore leisure should be doing what the individual wants to do during their free time. Bregha (2000) described that leisure has always been...