14. Robert Louis Stevenson on Idleness

In this episode we unpack Scottish Novelist Robert Louis Stevenson's essay "An Apology for Idlers" from 1877. The essay explores… -Why we should spend a good deal of time being idle in our youth -Why we have a moral duty to be happy -Why books aren't all they're cracked up to be Links to Reading and Articles mentioned "An Apology to Idlers" by Robert Louis Stevenson "Vagabonding" by Rolf Potts **note** reading is not required to enjoy the episode! Host: Zach Stehura UnpackingIdeas.com Guest: Alex Berner Pocket Bard (Interactive music app for gamers and tabletop RPG's like D&D) Theme Music: Polyenso listen here Timestamps 00:00:00 Introduction 00:04:42 Does idleness make us grow weary? 00:08:21 Stevenson’s definition of Idleness 00:12:58 how different generations view idleness 00:17:57 how one’s happiness effects other people 00:22:24 better to be happy and poor than miserable and industrious 00:28:04 the resentment workers feel towards idlers 00:31:01 rethinking priorities 00:31:31 the story of Alexander the Great and Diogenes 00:41:57 the resentment unrecognized workers feel 00:45:58 equating one’s self worth with one’s economic value 00:48:51 spending time being idle in youth 00:50:28 Experiential learning vs. book learning 00:54:12 books are a bloodless substitute for life 00:59:11 leaving yourself space for having your own ideas 01:06:26 all work and no play is soul crushing 01:08:52 assessing how much time we spend on certain tasks 01:12:17 your work doesn’t matter as much as you think it does 01:13:12 the “great man” theory of history 01:17:45 why sacrificing your youth for work is a bad idea 01:21:25 fame and money doesn’t make you happy 01:24:17 sensitivity to talking about work 01:26:59 wrapping up/outro