The authors explore the stimulating, philosophical question, "What is the importance of parks and recreation to the quality of life?". Asked by students, educators, and practitioners alike, the answer to this question is the core of one's philosophy of service in the field of parks and recreation. This 3rd edition contains a new preface and an epilogue that capsulises the authors' thinking about what it means to be citizens of a larger community of life. It is as if the body of the text, written more than 20 years ago, leads inevitably to this edition's final, concluding statement. The epilogue not only makes a case for the need to see ourselves differently in relationship to the larger living world, it affirms our ability to undergo that transformation. The epilogue culminates in new definitions of recreation and leisure that better suit contemporary times.