Pride of place
Sir: I have seldom disagreed more with any article than I do with Mr Simon Raven's under the above title (7 February).
Having given up work some six years ago and done nothing of consequence ever since, I have never been happier, although I have no 'function in life,' nor do I want one. Indeed, I think that, with rare exceptions, anyone who thinks that he is necessary to the society in which he lives, be it great or small, is a fool.
Much may depend on one's generation, education and general background. None of those who brought me up ever did anything worth mentioning during all the years I knew them, yet my father died aged ninety, my mother aged eighty-two and my grandmother aged seventy-eight. All were cornpos mentis till the end; indeed my grandmother almost 'overdid it' by insisting on composing the announcement of her own death. It duly appeared in the Times, perfectly lucid. Her reason for doing this was not, I think, any morbid preoccupation with death, but a con- viction (probably well founded) that her im- mediate descendants would make a mess of it. Another characteristic of hers was to do
her shopping from fret car, which was driven up to the shop &that, and the chauffeur sent in to ask the manager to come out. This he did, and stood on the pavement while my grandmother harangued him from the car. Whatever this was a sign of, nobody who saw it could possibly think it was senility!
My parents did not attain these heights, but unless being slightly less ill-tempered than before is a sign of senility, they showed none.
I have therefore very little patience with the so-called 'problem of leisure,' which I can only think has its origin in the pernicious doctrine taught by educationists ever since 1939 that activity is. as such, good. All that is necessary is some sort of interest, such as doing a crossword puzzle, collecting some object, anything from match boxes to pic- tures, some game, the arts or religion. As for other people, you need enough to keep you sane, but not enough to drive you mad.
R. L. Travers Army & Navy Club, Pall Mall, London swl
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