what is leisure time?
When I tried to explain the concept of "(of one's business) slow" in "waste of time" in English, I found positive nuance in free and leisure. Leisure in Japanese has a negative nuance. Busy" is "killing time", but time is not "boredom".
o3.icon
Core image of "Leisure
A state of being "idle" with no external obligations or internal objects of devotion.
It is not "leisure" that is "reserved" for enrichment and rest, but includes the feeling of emptiness and boredom** that comes with **excess time.
It is often said that a prolonged "negative void" can lead to mental harm (waste of time) such as lethargy, jealousy, and negative thinking. Points to consider when translating into English
(1) Just doing nothing
idleness / idle time
Negative connotations of "idle" and "idle" | Closest to "idle" is the feeling of "engine idling" | Negative connotations of "idle" and "idle" are the feeling of "engine idling
(2) Emphasize harm
the perils (or harms) of idleness
waste of time
"Perils" with alarming wording.
(3) Boredom is a constant time
dead time / empty time
Zero productivity, time is "dead" colloquially
4) Leisure time
kill time / time-killing activities
Act of "killing" time
Note that "time" is the object.
*Proposed translation**
* leisure time harms → *"the harms of idleness "* or *"idleness hazards "*
*an idle person* → *an idle person* (*"free" and "at leisure" are too positive)
### Difference from "leisure / free time
The etymology of **leisure** *scholē* (ancient Greek) includes the **positive value** of "learning and thinking in leisure time," and even modern English takes on the nuances of rest and self-improvement.
**free time** also neutral to positive.
Thus, in "leisure time" = "free time," the negative connotations (idleness, boredom, emptiness) fall away.
### Cultural Background Memo
In Japanese society, the context of "busy = virtue" is deeply rooted, and "busybody" tends to be a mildly derogatory term.
Ah, this is the influence of Japanese culture.nishio.icon
Psychological research has also reported that subjective well-being declines** when free time exceeds 5 hours per day, and excessive "free time" can lead to stress and low self-esteem.
---
This page is auto-translated from /nishio/暇とは何か using DeepL. If you looks something interesting but the auto-translated English is not good enough to understand it, feel free to let me know at @nishio_en. I'm very happy to spread my thought to non-Japanese readers.