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A review by jedore
How to Be Idle: A Loafer's Manifesto by Tom Hodgkinson
3.0
“We go into debt to chase our desires, and then keep working to pay the debt. It’s the modern form of indentured labor.”
I was excited to read How to Be Idle: A Loafer's Manifesto on my way to living in Panamá as one of my biggest goals with this move is to SLOW THE HECK DOWN. From what I hear, the Panamanians have their priorities straighter than Americans when it comes to idling, celebrating and putting family at the top of the list. I need to learn to be and do better in this way.
Some male authors can write in a way that resonates with both males and females. Tom Hodgkinson, not so much. His (non-toxic) masculinity was prevalent on most pages...his British-ness as well.
Tom covers a topic related to slowing down and doing nothing in each chapter:
Ch 1: Waking Up
Ch 2: Toil & Trouble
Ch 3: Sleeping In
Ch 4: Skiving for Pleasure
Ch 5: The Hangover
Ch 6: The Death of Lunch
Ch 7: On Being Ill
Ch 8: the Nap
Ch 9: Time for Tea
Ch 10: The Ramble
Ch 11: First Drink of the Day
Ch 12: On Fishing
Ch 13: Smoking
Ch 14: The Idle Home
Ch 15: The Pub
Ch 16: Riot
Ch 17: The Moon and the Stars
Ch 18: Sex and Idleness
Ch 19: The Art of Conversation
Ch 20: Party Time
Ch 21: Meditation
Ch 22: Sleep
Ch 23: On Holidays
Ch 24: A Waking Dream
Despite the heavy testosterone (fishing, drinking, smoking, etc.), he shifted my perspective in a big way and I enjoyed the book enough to stick with it until the end (something I no longer do out of a sense of some unnecessary obligation...a sign that I'm evolving!).
The ongoing discussion of the shift that occurred in society as a direct result of the Industrial Revolution was the most interesting and valuable aspect of the book for me. Now I get why humans, particularly the American ones, are obsessed with work, work, work. Most importantly, now I get the guilt I have when I do nothing...awareness is the first step in healing.
Although written before Covid, there is a definite parallel between the post-Industrial Revolution societal mentality and the post-Covid. I feel much better equipped to explain what I mean by the powers-that-be having an agenda without sounding like a Trump loving conspiracy nut.
I hope my "husband" reads the book as he is a cocktail-loving fisherman who knows the value of a good idle session.
I was excited to read How to Be Idle: A Loafer's Manifesto on my way to living in Panamá as one of my biggest goals with this move is to SLOW THE HECK DOWN. From what I hear, the Panamanians have their priorities straighter than Americans when it comes to idling, celebrating and putting family at the top of the list. I need to learn to be and do better in this way.
Some male authors can write in a way that resonates with both males and females. Tom Hodgkinson, not so much. His (non-toxic) masculinity was prevalent on most pages...his British-ness as well.
Tom covers a topic related to slowing down and doing nothing in each chapter:
Ch 1: Waking Up
Ch 2: Toil & Trouble
Ch 3: Sleeping In
Ch 4: Skiving for Pleasure
Ch 5: The Hangover
Ch 6: The Death of Lunch
Ch 7: On Being Ill
Ch 8: the Nap
Ch 9: Time for Tea
Ch 10: The Ramble
Ch 11: First Drink of the Day
Ch 12: On Fishing
Ch 13: Smoking
Ch 14: The Idle Home
Ch 15: The Pub
Ch 16: Riot
Ch 17: The Moon and the Stars
Ch 18: Sex and Idleness
Ch 19: The Art of Conversation
Ch 20: Party Time
Ch 21: Meditation
Ch 22: Sleep
Ch 23: On Holidays
Ch 24: A Waking Dream
Despite the heavy testosterone (fishing, drinking, smoking, etc.), he shifted my perspective in a big way and I enjoyed the book enough to stick with it until the end (something I no longer do out of a sense of some unnecessary obligation...a sign that I'm evolving!).
The ongoing discussion of the shift that occurred in society as a direct result of the Industrial Revolution was the most interesting and valuable aspect of the book for me. Now I get why humans, particularly the American ones, are obsessed with work, work, work. Most importantly, now I get the guilt I have when I do nothing...awareness is the first step in healing.
Although written before Covid, there is a definite parallel between the post-Industrial Revolution societal mentality and the post-Covid. I feel much better equipped to explain what I mean by the powers-that-be having an agenda without sounding like a Trump loving conspiracy nut.
I hope my "husband" reads the book as he is a cocktail-loving fisherman who knows the value of a good idle session.