What would you do with Time and Money?

As you can see from the title, I like to dream while I procrastinate, care to dream with me?

I often think, what would I do? What would I fill my time with if I didn't have to work 40 hours a week? Plus all those other hours you use getting ready, travelling to and from, and having 'breaks' in work. Maybe it's more realistic to reassess those 40 hours as 50-60 hours a week - that's a lot of time wasted if you aren't lucky enough to be in a job where you can make the changes to the world that you want to make.

Once upon a time when I had more time, I liked to read. And I read philosophy amongst other things.

Bertrand Russell, the great 20th century philosopher/mathematician said:

What is work?
Work is of two kinds: first, altering the position of matter at or near the earth's surface relatively to other such matter; second, telling other people to do so. The first kind is unpleasant and ill paid; the second is pleasant and highly paid. 

Now bear in mind that he said this before the dawn of the computer age, but I still feel it is quite apt today. In a collection of essays: "In Praise of Idleness" he argues why we should work less, and have more play. And he argues it well. Recommended reading for anyone, especially you anarchists out there. In fact, here's a link since I obviously couldn't remember that quote verbatim.

We only have to look to the past to see where great ideas came from, more often than not, great inventions, discoveries, art, knowledge, and indeed civilisation as we know it came from the leisure class of people, aristocracy, wealthy individuals, the privileged few who had time to ponder on thoughts and develop those thoughts without having to "move matter" from one place to the next. 

Nowadays, we rely on the academics, the people who are paid to do such things, unnecessary pressure if you ask me, but at least they have the advantage of time on there hands.

Today's procrastination has made me ask myself, Why can't we work for a few hours a day, and spend the rest of the day enjoying our leisure? Surely so much more would get done, those of us who love to learn would have more opportunity to do so, there would be so many more great ideas...

So much of world is so automated these days, why does it feel like we are always in a rush to develop economies? Why does it always feel that the world is in a race? What is the hurry? The earth has been around for 4.5billion years, it will probably still be here tomorrow, relax world, enjoy yourself, it isn't a race.

Now back to the title of my post, since I realise I am going off-piste a little, I'd like to think with more time and less work constraints, I'd be able to pursue interests to a fuller extent. Who knows which of us would be seen as a genius? Who knows what we would invent? What art would be produced? What science would be discovered? What mathematical problems would be solved? If we had more time to do such things. It saddens me to think that the next Gauss, or Picasso, or Newton, or Mozart, or Aristotle could be stuck in a factory somewhere just trying to get food on the table.

Personally, with the opportunity, I'd like to think I would be sat in a room, something similar looking to Hans Zimmers' studio, devouring book after book, solving problems, expanding knowledge and horizons. But with so many distractions, I don't know whether this is what I would really do. Maybe I would just be a Pokemon Go gym leader instead - I'd like to think not.

Hans' place. Jealous much?

What would you do with more time? 

I wonder what Bertrand would think of the world today, whether he would still advocate more time for leisure with so many distractions in the world? It's easy to forget that back then, leisure consisted of sport and study, there were no video games, or social media. In fact, to speak to someone over distance, you wrote a letter and awaited a reply. It was an age of patience, the world wasn't in such a hurry.