Richard L. Evans
The Spoken Word
15 March 1964

A LOOK AT PLEASURE AND LEISURE

We talked last week of consistency and the letdowns of life, with an awareness that we all need diversion and a change of pace, but should never depart from standards of excellence or safety or consistency— or become careless in conduct. And now we would look a moment at pleasure and leisure and their place and importance.

While there is need for leisure and relaxation, it is not good to have too much leisure, too many idle and unoccupied hours; for there is much too little time to do all there is to do, to learn all there is to learn, to see all there is to see, and to serve all who should be served.

One thing seems certain: that life generally should be used for good and purposeful purposes, and not merely for the pursuit of pleasure. “I know no occupation in life more barren of results than the permanent seeking of pleasure,” wrote A. Lawrence Lowell. “Pleasure is a by-product of doing something that is worth doing,” he continued. “Therefore, do not seek pleasure as such. Pleasure comes of seeking something else. . . . The whole point of enjoying recreation is that it is not your permanent occupation. The man who is seeking pleasure as his main occupation in life never has any recreation because he never can turn to anything else.”

“. . . Men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause” and not primarily playing— and in our need for relaxation we should not let down to the point of making the pursuit of pleasure of utmost importance. We should not work so hard at playing that playing becomes the primary purpose. “If you seek this or that,” said Thomas a Kempis, “if you wish to be in this place or that place, to have more ease and pleasure, you will never rest or be free from care.” Hannah More added this sentence to the subject: “A life devoted to trifles, not only takes away the inclination, but the capacity for higher pursuits. . . .”

Pleasure is not the purpose of life. Sincere happiness properly pursued may be. “. . . Men are, that they might have joy”— but it should be a joy that comes from being “engaged in a good cause”— in purposeful pursuits— and pleasure should be a by-product but not the major occupation of anyone.