Leisure in later life: The whole Person: transparency Vs relationship

“Tell me what you do when you are free to do as you wish,

and I will tell you what kind of person you are”

(Charles Brightbill, 1960)

I’m writing this text out of practical concerns about everyday life. For example, why is it accepted that older people’s free time is all free? And do we ask older adults what they like and want to do in their free time?

Regardless of age, we all share the same present. In other words: there are no people from the past, what distinguishes us is the length of our history and the uncertainty about the future… the same for everyone. If we share the same present… how can there be so many transparent older people? The other… the one who shares the same present as me. What makes older people invisible in our present? How can we make them visible again?

These are apparently easy questions, but they are very difficult to answer. Aging, that is, moving forward in time by living longer, is a dynamic process that is more complex than counting or adding up the years you live. This process can be called Lifelong Human Development (Vaillant, 2003). And how good it would be if this development were integral. Integral human development means looking at every person as an end, considering all the dimensions of life: economic, social, cultural, political, and spiritual, in other words, “the whole person” (Pope Paul VI, 1967, p.14).

Aging is not synonymous with illness, nor does it predict fatality. It is important to note that at each stage of life (throughout the process) individuals have their own view of reality and that the decisions made throughout life are relevant (Vaillant, 2003; 2008). In this sense, the same author lists seven indicators with an impact on well-being in later life: i) friendships and good company made throughout life; ii) being genuinely devoted to someone; iii) a good marriage at 50 iv) controlled consumption of stimulants, tobacco, and alcohol; v) spending time in a healthy way; vi) nurturing social relationships, cultivating intellectual curiosity, and maintaining lifelong learning. (These aspects, after retirement, prove to have a greater impact on the well-being of individuals than the monetary value of retirement itself); vii) subjective well-being, i.e., feeling good, (subjective health greatly impacts the aging process).

In point v – the healthy occupation of time, and point vi – cultivating social relationships, cultivating intellectual curiosity, and maintaining lifelong learning, we are invited to call leisure. Leisure can be defined as an activity practiced of one’s own free will and in one’s free time. The issues associated with time management are relevant, particularly the search for free time to practice enjoyable activities. It is important to point out that the free time of older people tends not to be valued, and nobody (nobody) has all their time free, regardless of age.

Leisure is serious when it has objectives, it is that activity carried out systematically, seen as a hobby, and carried out in an amateur or voluntary spirit. It is a particularly meaningful and interesting activity for the practitioner, in which individuals evolve and progress by articulating their resources and skills, their knowledge and experience, and from which they derive relevant fulfillment (Stebbins, 1982; 2020).

Leisure makes it possible to: i) pursue a relevant activity; ii) increase skills, resources, knowledge, and personal experience; iii) achieve increasingly sophisticated goals; iv) have an optimal experience and, v) feel a deep sense of fulfillment. It’s safe to say that Leisure can be a very serious matter.

Face-to-face interaction makes it possible to collectively deconstruct serious social prejudices and stereotypes about aging and old age, thus helping to build positive and appreciative relationships. Belonging to a Serious Leisure group can be crucial for older adults to live in relationships (d’Araújo et al, 2022). And, perhaps most importantly, through leisure we realize that older people are no longer transparent and become someone with whom we share an interest, someone with a will and goals. A whole person.

I’ll end with another question: Does age really matter if we share the same present? And I add a clue for reflection: how is my free time being managed?

         

References

d’Araújo, M. A., Alpuim, M., Rivero, C., & Marujo, H. Á. (2016). Narrative practices and positive aging: A reflection about life celebration in a group of old women. Women & Therapy, 39(1-2), 106-123.

d’Araújo, M. A., Fonseca, J. R. S. & Serra, F.H.  (2022). The importance of remembering that Leisure’s a human right (also) for elderly people – Contributions for old women from Portugal to belong to a leisure group. In Older Women in Europe
A Human Rights-Based Approach. Ed. Isabella Paoletti. Routledge

P. Paulo VI (1967). Populorum Progressio – Encíclica do Sumo Pontífice Papa Paulo VI.

Stebbins, R. A. (1982). Serious Leisure: A Conceptual Statement. The Pacific Sociological Review, 25(2), 251–272. doi:10.2307/1388726

Stebbins, R. A. (2020). The serious leisure perspective: A synthesis. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

Vaillant, G. E. (2003). Aging well. New York, NY: Little Brown.

Vaillant, G. E. (2008). Aging well: Surprising guideposts to a happier life from the landmark study of adult development. Hachette UK.

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