Mar
2008
The term “Recreation” refers to refreshment, restoration, or recovery. Just because the term has a contextual relevance and is complex in nature, it signifies different implications in terms of time, culture, and place. That is the reason you would find several types of definitions credited to this term. Principally, the meaning of “recreation” revolves around the reinstatement in terms of body, mind, or spirit.
In the contemporary contextual relevance, there are certain key elements which are considered to be intrinsic to recreation. A concept impelled by an internal feeling to indulge in certain activities which are chosen voluntarily and depends on one’s interests, outlook and tastes to bring variety and refreshment in one’s life. Recreation keeps imbibing new meaning and immensity as it ranges between a varieties of activities including leisure. While leisure is directed more towards relaxation and rest, recreation is comparatively more activity based and aiming at revitalization and entertainment. In today’s sedentary life, recreation has attained a special relevance and importance.
Recreation Activities
Recreational activities contain a variety of activities and there is virtually no limit to the imagination. Several activities composed for other purposes also tend to have recreational components. Some of the most common recreation activities include Conversing, Eating and drinking, Hobbies, Hunting and fishing, Playing games, Reading a book, Sexual behavior, Shopping, Kite flying, Sports and exercise, Travel and tourism, Martial arts, Yoga, Using the Internet,Visiting an amusement park, Recreational drug usage, by itself and in combination with the many of the above. This list is almost endless.
During recent years, more ‘exciting’ forms of recreation have received much attention in the public eye. Some of these activities include skiing, snowboarding, bungee jumping; sky diving, hang gliding, paint balling, rock climbing, backpacking, caving, BASE jumping, and adventure tourism.
Recreation is not just limited to these outdoor activities only. Indoor activities are also a part of the recreation equally. Many types of recreational activities can be undertaken at one’s home comfort like swimming, volleyball, table tennis, squash, badminton and football. For such indoor recreation, you will also find well established clubs having well equipped facilities and professionally qualified trained staff.
However, some recreational activities are considered to be illegal because of some kind of immoral impact attached with them. These include activities like gambling, substance abuse, some forms of sex, viewing or producing pornography, and some forms of dancing. This aspect can be better understood in cultural context as often one form of an activity is viewed as immoral by a culture while other forms are viewed as acceptable. For example, certain forms of sexual activities have been outlawed in certain regions while other forms of sex are acceptable. Another example is recreational drug use. In most of the world, conscientious alcohol consumption is legal and acceptable by the moral standards. In much of the Western world, decriminalization of so-called soft drugs is increasingly accepted.
Best Time for Recreation
Timings are very important when it comes to recreation. It will certainly be different for everyone. The choice of hours for recreation is restricted for the students by the school hours. For the employees it is normally determined and controlled by the requirements of, and agreements with, the employer. Thos who are having their own business are also restricted by the requirements of the work, such as the opening hours of the business. By and large, the weakened and holidays are most common and befitting time for recreation, though recreation may take place at virtually any time. As a matter of fact, recreation commonly occurs during an individual’s discretionary or free time.
Healthy Effects of Recreation:
For some people recreation could largely be a non-productive and unimportant activity. No doubt, excessive recreation can never be considered healthy. Prolonged and excessive recreation therefore could be labeled as diversion. However, research has shown that recreation contributes to life satisfaction, quality of life, health and wellness, and has even the therapeutic impact like in case of certain cases of chronic pain and other health impairments. Recreation and active living helps people live longer healthily, adding up to two years to life expectancy. According to research cited in Time magazine, stress is a major factor in many of the leading causes of death in the United States. Recreation certainly helps in easing out the stress.
Recreation’s Personal Benefits
When considered the other face, there are various benefits of recreation as well. For an individual, recreation is basically a medium for relaxation or adding thrill to life that helps in enhancing the levels of self-sufficiency, mental health, and life-satisfaction. Society also benefits as ‘Recreation’ is often the catalyst that builds ‘strong, self-sufficient communities’ and leads to improvement in public health, gives support to social pride, and unity among the people. Recreation at the same time helps in strengthening family structures, decrease crime, and enhance rehabilitation of individuals. Outdoor recreation props up environment protection, tourism and also plays an important educational role.
Environmental and Economic Aspects related to Recreation
Recreation and tourism are often collective factors which cause extensive damage to the environment. Edward Abbey, an American author and essayist along with many other activists and advocates of environmental issues have noted that industrial tourism is among the prime accused reason which destroys wild areas and animal habitats. Activists also condemn and criticize the public land policies being responsible for such damages.
Aquatic ecosystems also gets adverse impacts by the increased tourist trade and the consequential building of hotel accommodations, sewage disposal works, roads, car parks and landing jetties on banks and coastlines, increased angling, swimming, water skiing, shooting or use of motor-boats in the water body. These all produce direct deadly effects including shore damage, chemical changes in the water, and sediments and biological changes in the flora and fauna.
Despite all these grey areas, ‘Recreation’ is among the fastest growing businesses around the world and it facilitates creating millions of jobs and strengthening the economic vitality. In 2001 American consumers spent nearly $100 billion on recreational and leisure activities. In the same year more than 80 million Americans age 16 or older enjoyed some sort of recreation related to wildlife like fishing, hunting, bird watching, or wildlife photography. Through all these years charm for recreational and leisure activities had increased manifold.
