Otium is a Latin term coming from the roman culture, meaning free time and leisure. In the roman literature otium was defined as a waste of time, without a goal or purpose, and as contradictory to the way of life expected from a roman citizen, an active way of public involvement (negotium). According to the roman moral values otium was perceived as a sin, equal to indolence, lust and greed. The only way in which otium was acceptable was after public service, when the otium was considered as honorable (otium cum dignitate). Dignified otium was based on fulfillment of moral duty. Which manifested in the concern to the other and to society, and after its fulfillment the person could retire to his private matters, as some kind of a pension.
The one who defined the positive meaning of otium as a worthy leisure time, even without any previous public service, was Cicero (106-43 B.C.), who was forced to exile and had to stop his public service for political reasons. In fact, by the force of the circumstances of his life and his exile to the rural area, Cicero re–invented the otium as a positive term, as a virtuous otium (otium honestum). Cicero cast into his forced otium the meaning of active and fruitful time, used for creation and writing, time that produces “ fruits”, that is not wasted.
