Should people try to be as active and busy as they can, or should they try to have

more free time for themselves?

While free time may be enjoyable, more often than not, lazily slothing about
leads to mental or physical stagnation and does not yield progress. Admittedly,
the acts of daydreaming and appreciating nature, the joys of contemplation, can
serve to give poeple breaks from their otherwise fast-paced lives, but these
lapses of daydreaming and meandering are exactly that--breaks. Excessive
resting is hardly beneficial and should be avoided; breaks must be taken in
moderation. Acute analysis of historical as well as literary examples in context
show that in the end, while free time can be rejuvenating, it is hard work which
leads to self-cultivation and technological advancements.
In Shakespeare's "Hamlet", Hamlet, the protagonist of the play, remunerates far
too frequently, and it is for this reason that his fate ends so tragically in death.
Hamlet's father has just recently been murdered by Claudius in Claudius'
conspiracy to overtake the throne, and the ghost of Hamlet's father, King Hamlet,
confirms Hamlet's sinister suspicions and burdens Hamlet with the task of
avenging King Hamlet's death. Hamlet knows, of course, that he needs to kill
Claudius, but instead of actively carry out his duty with efficiency and pointed
alacrity, Hamlet dwells on the issue of the morality, or lack thereof, of taking
anothers' life, and thus wastes valuable time in which King Claudius secretly
devises a plot to poison Hamlet. Too much free time is what leads to Hamlet's
eventual debacle--Claudius' plan ends up successfully, and Hamlet is duped into
King Claudius' lethal trap.
Steve Jobs, on the other hand, used his time somewhat more productively, and
this zeal for life and his sanguine nature is what allowed Jobs to earn his
success--he personally benefited from his subsequent material wealth, but he
also helped millions of people by donating altruistically to numerous charities as
well as providing many with the electronic tools that they need to succeed. The
Apple company did not rise from the dust from idea alone--it was a direct result
of active determination to acheive a goal. Jobs' motivation built him a company
with billions of dollars in net worth--his hard work and his tedious labor earned
him an enterprise which has helped millions of Americans alive. How many times
in a day does one see people chatting on their Iphones, playing on their iPods or
watching movies on their iPads? This number has become so increasingly large
that it cannot even be counted.
Another example which shows that hard work yields desired results comes from
my own personal observation of a friend. At lunch, this kid and classmate sits
with seniors and teachers to interview them for a school newspaper article;
during class, he jots down notes assiduously, even during his free periods he
studies for a future test.
Evidently, free time can yield ephemeral boons, but in the long term it is always
better to take action. Only with doing, not thinking and wondering, can
innovation and progress be acheived.