In Praise of Leisure - The Chronicle Review

By Robert Skidelsky and Edward Skidelsky Imagine a world in which most people worked only 15 hours a week. They would be paid as much as, or even more than, they now are, because the fruits of their labor would be distributed more evenly across society. Leisure would occupy far more of their waking hours than work. It was exactly this prospect that John Maynard Keynes conjured up in a little essay published in 1930 called "Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren." Given when it was written, it is not surprising that Keynes's futuristic essay was ignored. He asked something hardly discussed today: What is wealth for? We in the West are once more in the midst of a Great Contraction, the worst since the Great Depression. The first defect is moral. Second, the crisis has exposed capitalism's palpable economic problems. So let us imagine that everyone has enough to lead a good life. Let's begin by pondering the reasons for the failure of Keynes's prophecy. It was not ever thus.

3 Ways to Get Inspired (And Leave Your Slump Behind) | Dan Bolton We all, from time to time, can fall into a slump. A low muddy bog of emotion. Sometimes it can feel as strong as an all consuming depression, anxiety or apathy. Other times it can simply be a lack of focus & a struggle to get things, anything, done. I know, because in the last few months, at different times, I’ve ticked all these boxes and more – Often wanting to DDT my inner man until he comes to his senses. In the midst of all of this, however, there is hope. The lie we can begin to believe is that we’re completely helpless to everything happening to us and basically curl up into the foetal position, figuratively or literally (Guilty), and wait for life to deal us better cards. We can simply be 1 inspiring idea, experience or person away from entering into a new day. Here are 3 to get you started. What we can often perceive as boredom and a lack of passion may really just be familiarity. Here are a few places to help you get started. TED: Ideas Worth Spreading iTunes University

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