THE FUSE

Discretionary time is like disposable income. Some people have a good bit of it; others, almost nothing. In the United States, we tend to see these two things as personal possessions that allow us to make choices regarding our thoughts and actions. We idealize people who have substantial amounts of both—perhaps rich people who get to go and do as they please or idle ones who have money coming from somewhere. Following Benjamin Franklin, we aspire to be healthy, wealthy, and wise. Contradicting that sage’s advice, we seek to do this without going to bed or rising early and without the hard lessons earned by years of difficult work.