Bertrand Russell

I heard of Bertrand Russell in 1981 when a fellow soldier claim that he is an agnostic when he was asked what religion does he follow. He learn this term agnostic from Bertrand Russell.

An Agnostic is one who believe that any ultimate reality such as the existence of God or non existence is unknown and probably unknowable.

Reading the book In Praise of Idleness, I find him very perceptive. He analysed human relationships. We work in large groups and yet insist on living in a small house with separate kitchens. It is more convenient with separation of duties to live in large groups. We need to assert our individual will and exercise control because "separateness ministers to her self-respect".

I like to quote another paragraph which bring out poignantly the tough part of being a homemaker or housewife in local terminology.

"The evils for the mother are also very serious. She has to combine the duties of nurse, cook, and housemaid, for none of which she has been trained: almost inevitably she performs them all badly; she is always tired, and finds her children a bother instead of a source of happiness; her husband is at leisure when his work stops, but she never has leisure; in the end, almost inevitably, she becomes irritable, narrow-minded , and full of envy."

In today society, this is a typical complaint of most stay-at-home mums. Would you believe me if I tell that this book was first published in 1935?