Fwd: (Public.Spaces) Passive vs Active Recreation - Remember Recreation
- Subject: [cg] Fwd: (Public.Spaces) Passive vs Active Recreation - Remember Recreation
- From: A*@aol.com
- Date: Tue, 20 May 2003 15:28:58 EDT
Friends,
On the Project for Public Spaces listserve, which is beginning to "get it
in regards to what community gardeners do, there was this all too
intellectual discussion of the phrase "active" and "passive" in regards to
recreation and how those terms were limiting in terms of what people did in
parks and open spaces. The discussion seemed theological , akin to counting
the number of angels on the head of a pin. It is the kind of thinking that
gets folks off of first principles, why we have parks and gardens instead of
wall to wall Dairy Queens in the first place...
As usual, I butted in....
Andy and All,
So far, nobody seems to have been looking at the word "Recreation" much
in this discussion, and maybe it's because when we see the phrase,
"Parks & Recreation Department" many of us have a vision of folks
walking on paths, or sitting on benches, playing checkers, reading, or
soaking up rays on the grass (passive recreation) or playing ball
games, swimming, gardening or engaging in activities that work up a
sweat (active recreation).
Maybe a definition of the word, "recreation," might be useful at this
point (this from an American Heritage Dictionary near my PC),
"Refreshment of ones mind or body after labor through diverting
activity, play." OK - this seems to require folks to be engaged in some
kind of sport or game. But the root of the word, "recreation, " i.e.,
"recreate" has more profound meaning: 1. To create anew; 2. To impart
fresh life to; refresh mentally or physically ("to take recreation").
The root is Latin: "recreare" - to create anew.
From a parks and community garden volunteer's perspective:
A simple bench, where a person can look at green, flowers, talk, eat
lunch is recreation - it gives a person a chance to rest from their
labors, chill, clear the columns of black and white figures they have
been looking at all morning from their minds, or even, in the case of
the refugee's from the former Yugoslavia who sit for hours on a time on
the benches or the grass of Clinton Community Garden, one particularly
battered guy strumming a guitar, a chance to slowly rebuild their
internal mental lives in a quiet, beautiful peaceful place.
In places where active recreation takes place, like the softball fields
in Central Park, there are always benches for people to recreate
themselves by watching the play and diverting their minds from their
daily troubles and engaging themselves in something different.
No, I don't think the definitions of passive and active recreation are
the problem. The responsibility of a sane society is to make sure that
ballfields, jogging tracks, and appropriate active programming in our
Parks are adequately funded, that our vistas of green and gardens are
well maintained and beautiful, that our garbage recepticles are kept
emptied and not overflowing, and that those benches and lawns, where
peoples bodies may be passive but their minds are actively recreating
themselves are maintained and kept in good condition.
To paraphrase Rabbi Akiva, "Everything else is commentary"
Best wishes,
Adam Honigman
--- Begin Message ---
- Subject: (Public.Spaces) Passive vs Active Recreation - Remember Recreation
- From: A*@aol.com
- Date: Tue, 20 May 2003 11:43:58 EDT
Andy and All,=20
So far, nobody seems to have been looking at the word "Recreation" much
in this discussion, and maybe it's because when we see the phrase,
"Parks & Recreation Department" many of us have a vision of folks
walking on paths, or sitting on benches, playing checkers, reading, or
soaking up rays on the grass (passive recreation) or playing ball
games, swimming, gardening or engaging in activities that work up a
sweat.
Maybe a definition of the word, "recreation," might be useful at this
point (this from an American Heritage Dictionary near my PC),
"Refreshment of ones mind or body after labor through diverting
activity, play." OK - this seems to require folks to be engaged in some
kind of sport or game. But the root of the word, "recreation, " i.e.,
"recreate" has more profound meaning: 1. To create anew; 2. To impart
fresh life to; refresh mentally or physically ("to take recreation").
The root is Latin: "recreare" - to create anew.=20
>From a parks and community garden volunteer's perspective:=20
A simple bench, where a person can look at green, flowers, talk, eat
lunch is recreation - it gives a person a chance to rest from their
labors, chill, clear the columns of black and white figures they have
been looking at all morning from their minds, or even, in the case of
the refugee's from the former Yugoslavia who sit for hours on a time on
the benches or the grass of Clinton Community Garden, one particularly
battered guy strumming a guitar, a chance to slowly rebuild their
internal mental lives in a quiet, beautiful peaceful place.=20
In places where active recreation takes place, like the softball fields
in Central Park, there are always benches for people to recreate
themselves by watching the play and diverting their minds from their
daily troubles and engaging themselves in something different.
No, I don't think the definitions of passive and active recreation are
the problem. The responsibility of a sane society is to make sure that
ballfields, jogging tracks, and appropriate active programming in our
Parks is adequately funded, that our vistas of green and gardens are
well maintained and beautiful, that our garbage recepticles are kept
emptied and not overflowing, and that those benches and lawns, where
peoples bodies may be passive but their minds are actively recreating
themselves are maintained and kept in good condition.
To paraphrase Rabbi Akiva, "Everything else is commentary"
Best wishes,
Adam Honigman
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