I disagree. The world would be bereft of many of its greatest intellects without the fruits of passivity.
Yes there are plenty of situations in which it is better to act, but I firmly believe the ancients were right that leisure is prerequisite to deep, radically novel thought.
I think we have more leisure in modern times than ancient times - you're probably romanticizing the past here. But apart from that I don't see what leisure has to do with being passive - I think you're conflating things that aren't actually tied together.
I disagree. We do have more “free-time” but what we decide to fill it with is not what I’d call leisure. What we think of as leisure today is not leisurely in any way. We browse on reddit, watch netflix, listen to spotify. And if we “take a break”, we’re just anxiously awaiting the next bit of entertainment. Leisure is walking slow and going nowhere, laying on the bed and letting the mind wander. True leisure is rare and should be refreshing and comforting, but when was the last time it felt like that?
Yes there are plenty of situations in which it is better to act, but I firmly believe the ancients were right that leisure is prerequisite to deep, radically novel thought.