Abstract
Modern society sees work and leisure as distinct realms, thus disrupting the dynamic interchange between these two categories of activity. The ancient world offers an alternative model in which play, or recreation, is actually the activity that creates thought, vision, beauty and order, i.e., culture itself. When the work ethic dominates, as it does today, play loses its creative vitality, its ability to renew.
The power to renew is, however, inherent in recreation, as ancient examples show. By addressing the values, ethics, myths, rituals and ceremonies of our many recreational sub-cultures, the recreation professional can shape leisure activity into the powerful tool of renewal and self-discovery that is its heritage.
Recommended Citation
Kunstler, Barton
(1986)
"The Future of Recreation: A Classical Perspective,"
Visions in Leisure and Business: Vol. 5:
No.
1, Article 5.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/visions/vol5/iss1/5