A Loafer’s Manifesto
“I have a dream. It is called love, anarchy, freedom. It is called being idle.”
-Tom Hodgkinson
That’s how this gem of a book ends, and it is faithful to its departing words. Most Urbanites would benefit from skimming though “How to Be Idle”. It is a true idler’s manifesto. Before you judge, let’s put give some more thought to that name, idler, that might turn you off. This little book called for me with its perfect blend of creative font, artwork and cool peach color. I saw the man sitting at his table with his frappé, cigarette and crossed leg and had a visceral reaction of my ideal day (I don’t smoke, but I can pretend I do). Inside its relaxed cover is a rallying charge from the heart, complete with historical context on the degradation of the human spirit through wage labor and prudery.
Ask yourself if you are a suppressed idler. Tendency to day dream, march to your own drum, don’t need to be wired or surrounded by mobs of “friends” to be entertained? Chances are you’re really a creative rebel and genius. My clue to my inner nature came in college, where after taking an economic anthropology course I retired wearing a watch. Watches are collars tied to Chronos’s leash so that he can tug on you to remind you of obligatory chores. Chronos must have asked Hephaestus to specially craft the designs of watches to look like jewelry to hide the fact that it’s really a device to lock you into the rigidity of his temporal bars. We willingly put them on our wrists, they are pricey and bejeweled… Clever.
So enjoy this book- skip and skim through chapters if you must and you’ll enjoy it just the same. Take your time with it. You’ll find reflections on The Death of Lunch, First Drink of the Day, The Art of Conversation, A Waking Dream… The only requirement I’d make in selling this book is having union workers go through a screening process before reading it. Some people ruin the art of idling nor need encouragement. Bureaucracy is the idler’s worst nightmare.
I give this entry two cities, my home city and a city I love dearly, home to the kings of idlers who helped me see the way, the Athenian Greeks. Ahh, to sip a frappé in Kolonaki, a frothy beer in Piraeus…
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“Tendency to day dream, march to your own drum, don’t need to be wired or surrounded by mobs of “friends” to be entertained?” THAT’S ME!!! and I can only wish the sentence following this quote would be true. I wonder if the author found another way to describe “reflective personality” that some people including myself have. In today’s world, thinking and being analytical is often seen as a problem and it is often substituted by restating someone else’s opinion. People often are puzzled by hearing something original that is not a product of oh so popular cut and paste process. In this context “Degradation of human spirit” sounds about right.
BTW, I also never wore a watch (now I don’t need one because of my cell) and I refused to wear any article of clothing that had any visible brand names or logos (The On2 T-shirt phase was an exception:) Just in case book review is going to be a regular feature of Our Urban Odyssey here is another book worth considering http://press.princeton.edu/titles/7929.html , review is there so we don’t have to think about it or even read it L:(O:(L:(
Fellow idler- There are more of us than people think. The brand name refusal is interesting because thats something I share too… it must come with the territory of not following the herd and being branded like cattle.
If you read “On Bullshit” and want to review it yourself, let me know. I plan to include book reviews related to our urban odyssey and this is about a collective odyssey, so if it strikes you… Not tolerating bullshit is something we specialize in here in NYC.
If anyone cares to check out a book from the Our Urban Odyssey library, speak.
I am a self proclaimed idler as well. Daydreaming and pondering every detail of everything is my gift and curse. I sit on the train during my on hour commute in to work with no head phones, no book, absolutely nothing to stimulate my mind besides my own thoughts. I do the same on the ride home although not with the same puss on my face as when going to work, since my day is done.
However here is where we part ways – I am absolutely obsessed with time. I hate that I am but cannot help it. I don’t wear a watch though, but check my phone an average of 16 times per hour.