ABSTRACT
Our ambitions continue to grow. Although longevity is increasing, there is no hint that people are content to spread out a lifetime’s experience over the new extended lifetime. Quite the reverse, our high-speed communications and technology allow us to achieve more, and encourage us to live in the fast lane, if not perpetually overtaking. This may be the preferred route for some, but by no means all. Others wish to live out their lives at a more natural pace, in step with nature. Preferences look set to continue to fragment. The family, as the normal unit for a household, is in decline at present in Britain. There is every reason to suppose that more flexible patterns will persist (at least in the short to mid term). However, many trends seem to oscillate, like the return of religious fundamentalism. Perhaps the family, or other similar substitute, will again take its place as the dominant unit. Given the ageing population in a number of developed countries, pressures are likely to encourage extended families or community groups to take greater responsibility for caring for older people, rather than rely on the state. Whatever the favoured unit is to be, fragmentation in patterns of living will echo the development of different lifestyles and activities. Increasing population pressures, traffic congestion and the desire to achieve more in less time will increase stress. Rising stress, and the associated cost of mental health, will encourage the adoption of leisure as an effective preventive cure for society. The benefits-based approach (Parks and Recreation Federation of Ontario 1992; Canada Parks/Recreation Association 1999; Sport England 1999a, b) will encourage policy makers to put a greater value on leisure provision.
