UWL leisure expert explores a musical philosophy for living in uncertain times

UWL leisure expert explores a musical philosophy for living in uncertain times

After World War II, German Philosopher Josef Pieper argued that rebuilding society required more than hard work - it required leisure. At a time when cities and systems needed urgent repair, his perspective struck some as poorly timed. But Pieper insisted it was precisely the moment to pause, reflect and resist defining human worth solely through productivity. Without leisure, he believed, culture and human flourishing could not be restored.

Today, although we are not rebuilding from a world war, many people feel a sense of prolonged disruption. The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped daily life in major ways, and post pandemic times - marked by uncertainty, social tensions and global instability - have left some feeling as though they are still living in the middle of a crisis.

Like Pieper, Brian Kumm-Schaley, associate professor of Recreation Management & Recreational Therapy, turns to the topic of leisure for answers on how we should live and cope in uncertain times like these.

"We could continue to wait around for a sense of normalcy to settle in one day," says Kumm-Schaley, "or we could seize the opportunity to change the patterns and rhythms of our lives."

Kumm-Schaley explores this idea in his recent book chapter, "Hobos on a Train: Leisure and Rhythm-as-Difference in a (Post)Pandemic World," published in the "Research Handbook on the Sociology of Leisure." The chapter examines how rhythm - understood as the dynamic, relational movement between moments - can help people develop a new ethic, or way of life, amid ongoing uncertainty.

"I hope people come away with a sense of permission," he says. "Permission to experiment with their lives. To try things differently. To pay attention to the details that make life meaningful."

Rhythm vs. routine

Central to Kumm-Schaley's work is a rethinking of leisure. Rather than viewing it simply as free time or activity, he describes leisure as a condition - a way of being in the world. It is within this space, he explains, that reflection, creativity and connection can emerge.

Leisure can help people stay grounded in their humanity - something that can be lost when life is driven entirely by productivity.

"We have a lot of busy people trying to make a lot of money," he says, "but not a lot of people who are really living and experiencing life in its fullness."

His research also draws an important distinction between time and rhythm.

Time is what most people are used to: schedules, deadlines and routines moving forward in a steady, linear way. Rhythm, by contrast, is relational. It emerges in the spaces between those structures - connecting moments, experiences and transitions.

"Rhythm ties together critical moments," Kumm-Schaley explains. "It's not the rigid structure - it's the creative movement within and between those structures."

He illustrates this through music. A steady tempo is like a train moving down the tracks - predictable and consistent. Rhythm, however, is what happens within that motion: the subtle variations, improvisations and shifts that give the journey its character.

Drawing on bluegrass guitarist Tony Rice, Kumm-Schaley describes rhythm as being like a person moving between boxcars on the train - adjusting, responding and finding new vantage points along the way. Even when life feels fixed or constrained, there is still room to move differently within it.

Finding rhythm in everyday life

Rather than waiting for stability to return, Kumm-Schaley encourages people to experiment with small, intentional changes - what he calls "rhythmic shifts" - that can alter the overall feel, or tenor, of daily life.

The idea is similar to how composers create more dynamic music: by adding, subtracting, or adjusting beats to disrupt predictable patterns. In everyday life, those same principles can open up new ways of living.

These shifts don't have to be dramatic. In fact, their impact often comes from their simplicity:

• Add or subtract: Introduce something new or remove habits that no longer serve you. Maybe you quit smoking or take up meditation. Even small changes can shift how life feels. As you make changes, continue to ask how those changes feel: Do they help us to live, endure or increase our abilities to do things? Or not?
• Pause intentionally: Rest is not wasted time. In both music and life, pauses can create space for clarity, creativity and renewal - and can even give greater meaning to what follows.
• Change routines: Walk without a destination, reverse patterns, or approach conversations differently - such as slowing down and reflecting back what you hear.
• Move between the beats: Experiment within the structure of your day. Kumm-Schaley points to examples like community walking groups, where movement becomes more than exercise - it becomes a way of fostering connection and reclaiming space. "These are ways of going places not prescribed for us," he says. "They create difference."

The pandemic made one thing clear: life does not pause during disruption. It continues-often in uneven, unfamiliar and uncertain ways. For Kumm-Schaley, the challenge is not simply predicting what comes next but deciding how to live within that uncertainty in the meantime. His advice is to find your rhythm.

"That's where life becomes more humane, more intentional - and more fully lived," he says.