Man's life is not subordinate to work. One works to live, one does not live to work. In addition to being an active being(homo faber), man is a receptive and contemplative being(homo sapiens) who is enriched in the disinterested and calm attention with people and things. This reality is perceived especially in free time, when there is greater freedom of choice.

That freedom is not "liberation" from the principles and values with which one lives; that would be to incur in a double standard and a double life. One can take a vacation with respect to what one does (the work) but not with respect to what one is or with respect to what one believes or what one loves.

 Aristotle said that we work in order to be able to have skolé (leisure) afterwards; to dedicate ourselves freely to those occupations that we like and that develop our spirit. For Pieper, the sphere of leisure is the sphere of culture itself, insofar as this word indicates that which exceeds the purely utilitarian.o.

For many people, free time is a time to do nothing. This can be seen, for example, in surveys of celebrities in the run-up to the summer vacations:

• What are you going to do on your vacation?

• Nothing, I love to spend a month doing nothing.

These people confuse leisure with idleness. Leisure is not passivity, but a change of activity. It is to occupy oneself with something different from the professional work ; with something more pleasant, enjoyable, creative, related to culture and coexistence.

 It is necessary to rest, but avoiding that bad relaxation that consists in forgetting that you are a member of a family, a Christian, a citizen, a friend.... Very responsible and generous people from Monday to Friday, if you ask them for a small favor on Saturday they say: "don't spoil my weekend".

If this is so, is it worth listening to the arguments of intellectuals who justify idleness? Robert L. Stevenson wrote "In Defense of the Idle". In that book he explains - with a touch of irony - that some forms of idleness are more profitable than some formal learning activities. Let's look at an excerpt:

"If you look back and remember your own Education, I'm sure it won't be the hours when you played hooky that you regret, but rather some tedious stretches of sleep at class. I attended many hours of class in my time, but I do not place the same value on them as I do on certain snippets of knowledge that I acquired on the streets while playing hooky. If a boy does not learn on the street, it is because he has no aptitude for learning."

Pieper maintains that the true meaning of free time is to find suitable leisure. And leisure is to affirm one's own personality through creative acts or attitudes.

Active rest is more rational and effective than passive rest. For example, reading, painting, DIY or collecting is more sensible and beneficial than lying on a sun lounger and sunbathing as long as the body can take it.

Victor Frankl affirms that idleness is closely related to "the existential void" or "inner emptiness" in which man sinks when his life lacks sense or meaning. The idle person experiences the emptiness of his time as the emptiness of his intimacy, of his conscience. Being without occupation gives him the feeling of uselessness, which leads him to believe that his life has no meaning.

This is what happens to teenagers and young adults who have fun spending entire nights doing nothing.

Leisure has three main purposes or possibilities: physical rest, psychic rest and festive contemplation. For Pieper the inner festive attitude is the essence of leisure.

These three leisure possibilities are lost when free time at the weekend is dedicated to "botellón". In this status there is no physical rest, due to the excesses that usually occur, as well as the abrupt change of schedule, with inversion of the sleep-wakefulness rhythm. Nor is there psychic rest, because prolonged idle time generates psychological fatigue, repetition and boredom. Thirdly, contemplation and dialogue, which are conditions for festivity, are not possible.

Many parents do not worry about their children's free time until one day a misfortune happens to them, such as an alcoholic coma. Children need to acquire good habits from childhood about resting, playing, having fun and partying. But it is very difficult for them to do so without the guidance and good examples of their parents.