Take it easy, take it easy;
Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy…
— Take It Easy’ by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey
‘Take It Easy’ was the first hit song for the Eagles, released on May 1, 1972. It peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100, spending 11 weeks on the chart that summer.
Did we listen to their advice? No, we didn’t. Take a look around; obviously, we’ve let the sound of our own wheels drive us crazy. Even the Eagles didn’t listen to their own advice.
Of course, Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey were not the first ones to offer this kind of advice.
Back in around 500 BC, Confucius asked his four disciples, Tzu Lu, Tsang Hsi, Zan Yu, and Kung Hsi Hua (also known as Tien), what they would do if their abilities were fully acknowledged. Tzu Lu replied that he would like to be in charge of a relatively small state and help the citizens thrive economically. Tsang Hsi also wanted to successfully govern a small territory. Zan Yu modestly answered he would like to serve as a minor government assistant, dressed in the ceremonial gown and cap.
Tien, the last to reply, set his lute down and said, “At the height of spring, all decked out in spring clothes, I would like to take five or six young men, and six or seven youngsters to go for a swim in the Yi River, enjoying the cool breeze at the Rain Dance Festival, and make our way back home, singing.”
Confucius sighed, and said, “Ah, lovely. I am with you, Tien.”
We’re talking here about ‘leisure’. Swimming in the river. Hanging out at the Rain Dance Festival, and then singing an Eagles song on the way home. Or maybe hitching a ride with a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford.
Tien aimed higher than the other disciples. His ideal was a peaceful, harmonious society where everyone can live leisurely and no one has to worry. Since he aimed at a society of leisure for all, he was acclaimed by Confucius.
But that’s a Chinese perspective, from 2,500 years ago. Things have changed, as even the Eagles finally realized. We’re supposed to be working. Hard.
A situation for which we can blame Eve, mostly.
Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’… Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.”
We could have been taking it easy. But no. Adam and Eve had to go and eat from the tree.
And we’re reaping the harvest.
But I think ‘leisure’ is finally making a comeback in America. Reportedly, it’s nearly impossible to find anyone who actually wants to do hard work, except maybe a few children.
First, a clarification. When people hear the word ‘leisure’, they sometimes imagine sitting on a couch all weekend, watching the complete past seasons of “Friends” or ‘Game of Thrones’. That might be a good example of wasting time, but not necessarily of ‘leisure as Confucius and Tien imagined it.
‘Free time’ is not necessarily good nor bad, but it can easily involve boredom, substance abuse, loneliness, and past seasons of ‘Friends’.
Rightly understood and valued, ‘leisure’ is about engaging in recreational activities that generate positive experiences, meaning and social connections. Swimming in the river, enjoying the Rain Dance Festival, hitching a ride in a flatbed Ford.
Unlike work, leisure allows us to be authentic and present in the moment. And who doesn’t want to be authentic and present?
Playing golf, on a well-mowed golf course, is leisure.
Actually mowing the golf course is hard work.
So why are we working so hard? Just so we can qualify for Medicaid, maybe?
Underrated writer Louis Cannon grew up in the vast American West, although his ex-wife, given the slightest opportunity, will deny that he ever grew up at all. You can read more stories on his Substack account.