Today, many people spend numerous hours before the television, watching their favorite sit-coms and sporting events; some T.V. is very good, but much of it is poor.  The ancient philosophers viewed leisure time, not as free time to be wasted, but as an opportunity to pursue intellectual thought: i.e., logical, speculative, reflective considerations of life, reality, spirituality, truth and meaning.  For Aristotle, the intellectual life was man's most dignified activity. 
     The intellect is a faculty of the soul, which can grow  towards a certain perfection.  And because it is intimately connected to other faculties of the soul, e.g., the will, memory, imagination, emotions, passions, and even the body itself, its perfection is also dependant upon the perfection of the whole individual.  To sum, it is the virtuous man/woman, the holy person, who possesses a great capacity for wisdom and true knowledge.  As a result, his/her mind is gradually formed through prayer, study, and elevated conversation toward a perfection of reason and conscience.  With the advent of infused virtues, especially prudence, the Christian is able to make decisions quicker, and with greater ease and clarity.
     It is against the nature of man to live as a couch potato.  Indeed we need rest, both for the mind and body, yet the intellect is a faculty, which longs for insight and learning.  We are beings who question.  And our questions are springboards for growth: human and divine.  What is so exciting about answers is this: truth is alive!  All of creation is endowed with the beauty of truth, to be discovered and known.  The goodness of creation is a mirror of God's glory, Who is Truth itself.  Truth effects change in our being: it empowers, it sets free, it captivates and inspires, it increases our fruition.
     Men love ideas.  This does not mean that all men love school, nor that they are necessarily brighter than women.  I remember grade school, where Susie Lynn was always better than I in the spelling bees and math contests.  And it must be admitted that sometimes men are just vacant.  For example, when a woman walks down the hall, passing a man, and nothing is said, the woman thinks, "Something is wrong"; the man, however (even subconsciously), assumes, "Everything is ok."  This points to the relationality of women, and the occasional vacancy of men.  Still to discuss politics, or read about scientific discoveries, or meditate upon religious dogmas, is to engage "ideas," an activity, which energizes the soul of every man.  To pursue the intellectual life is a great adventure: like journeying into previously unknown worlds, of forested enchanted islands, or distant starry planets, and discovering spectacular hidden treasures within.  To exercise the mind is healthy; to habitually leave it idle is a mournful loss.  Living ideas take up residence in the minds of human subjects.  They are reminders of the one great eternal Idea begotten by the Father, namely the Son.

Fr. Michael