One aspect of fast London life I have never understood, for example, is the custom of the gym. Why do people go to gyms?

Doing something you enjoy at times of your own choosing and making a living from it: now tell me, is that work?

Faffing of course does not fit the programme. We are supposed to be busy, productive citizens.

In both word and deed, one of the greatest idlers of all time was John Lennon. In his songs we see repeated defences of simply lying around doing nothing.

Pain will never leave us. Instead of putting energy into destroying pain, we need to put energy into creating pleasure.

I've never understood activity holidays since we seem to have far too much activity in our daily lives as it is. Find a culture where loafing is the order of the day and where they don't understand our need to be constantly doing things. Find somewhere you can have a hammock holiday.

The art of living is the art of bringing dreams and reality together.