Leisure

(from L. licere, to be permitted). Entertainment or recreational pursuits, especially in works of invention or imagination which form and develop the human personality. Refers to time free from the activity of producing the material goods necessary for subsistence. L. excludes time used for work, transportation, personal hygiene, domestic chores and sleep. L. includes time spent to satisfy personal interests such as recreation and entertainment, sports, play, art, social communication, reading, tourism, crafts and other hobbies. We distinguish active l., in which people engage in creative activities, developing their potential in multifaceted ways, from passive l., involving the consumption of cultural products created by others, though this second form also contributes to the formation and socialization of the personality. With the rise of leisure-time industries and so-called “mass culture,” however, cultural values are being replaced by various substitutes that dehumanize life, deform the personality, and lower the cultural level of society. N.H. considers that it is necessary to increase the amount of l., and to fill this free time with creative activities, elevating the level of culture, free time, entertainment and recreation. The problem of the humanization of l. and the elevation of its content is one of the fundamental tasks facing current generations.