Discretionary Time: Are We Really Doing What We Want?
Discretionary time is like disposable income. Some people have a good bit of it; others, almost none. In the United States, we tend to see these two things as personal possessions that allow us to make choices regarding our thoughts and actions. We idealize people who have substantial amounts of both—perhaps rich people who get to go and do as they please or idle ones who have money coming from somewhere. Following Benjamin Franklin, we aspire to be healthy, wealthy, and wise. Contradicting that sage’s advice, we seek to do this without going to bed or rising early and without the hard lessons earned by years of difficult work. Whatever these cultural encouragements may be, most of us understand that our lives will never be so unfettered. Time, as we see it, is a precious resource. The human life span guarantees that limitation. So does the complexity of modern existence. A few people may be pursuing their “dream jobs” or living their “ideal lives,” but the rest of us know well what it means to …
