Sir, – Colm Keena ("Teen idle, Irishman's Diary, April 28th) recalls from his schooldays the experience of "staring out the window while daydreaming".
I can only recall such blissful moments being rudely interrupted by a flying piece of chalk or worse still a “duster” thrown by a most un-Christian Brother. – Yours, etc,
MIKE MORAN,
Clontarf,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – The long-forgotten essay that brought comfort to Colm Keena’s teenage years, In Praise of Idleness, was written by Bertrand Russell.
The philosopher advocated a four-hour working day and held that throwing parties for friends benefitted all of society.
Living in Rome, I discovered that Italians embrace dolce far niente (the joy of idleness) as a positive virtue, not a guilty pleasure. – Yours, etc,
Dr JOHN DOHERTY,
Gaoth Dobhair,
Co Dhún na nGall.
Sir, – For interested readers, the essay title that inspired Colm Keena was An Apology for Idlers by Robert Louis Stevenson. It appeared in the New Senior Prose textbook. At least I’m pretty sure it did. I can’t be bothered to look it up. – Yours, etc,
JL BYRNE,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – Like Colm Keena, my son-in-law apparently spent an inordinate amount of time in school staring out the window.
“Collins,” admonished the teacher, “you will never earn a living looking out of a window.”
He is now a pilot! – Yours, etc,
PAUL G SHEVLIN,
Belfast.