Laziness is difficult to define because of its subjective quality. When my brother and I were growing up, my stepfather would always complain about our laziness and the fact that we never did anything. The problem with his reasoning, however, was that we lived on a five-acre farm, and during the summer, we were up from dawn to dusk with very little of that time allotted as playtime. While our classmates ran yelling out of the front door of the school on the last day before summer break, my brother and I shuffled our feet, dreading the moment when we exited the building that had been our refuge for nine months, saving us from hours of hard labor because homework always came first.
As a result, my brother and I both have a difficult time distinguishing the fine line between laziness and imperative relaxation time, and while I agree that children need to learn good work ethics, I believe it is equally important to allow a child to be a child while they still can. The responsibility of being an adult will be upon them much too soon.
So are you lazy or are you simply taking the necessary time out to relax and unwind? Do you have a job? If so, do you take a lot of sick or personal days for no reason, realizing that you might be leaving your co-workers hanging? If this is you, then you might be lazy. Or you could simply be mentally ill. There are several psychiatric conditions that are very detrimental to work performance, as well. You be the judge. On the other hand, if you have a full-time job and receive good performance reviews, then you probably don’t have a problem with laziness.
And what about your home life? You’ll probably have an easier time of assessing this area of your life if you live alone. Or at least without another human being.
We’ve all heard horror stories of nagging husbands, wives, and significant others. Do you have to clear a path from the front door to the kitchen or from your bedroom to the living room? Do you find yourself buying paper plates simply because you’re too lazy to wash the stoneware in the sink? How does your bathroom look? When you brush your teeth, do you have to walk away from the sink so you don’t gag?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you might be lazy. Or you might work 80 hours a week at your job, be labeled a workaholic, and simply not be interested in devoting any time to cleaning your house. While your co-workers would look at someone insanely if they even suggested that you were lazy, someone you might entertain at your house would be inclined to disagree.
My opinion? I think anyone with any sort of insight knows what laziness feels like. I might have three or four days at a time where I do nothing except play solitaire on the computer, even though I know I need to be writing, doing housework, or going grocery shopping. And showering? Please. I’m doing good to get out of my pajamas. That’s laziness. Again, however, subjectivity comes into play. Your definition is more than likely going to be different than mine or someone else’s. The important thing is that you strike a balance between taking the time to do something you enjoy and getting things accomplished that are necessary in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Remember that you won’t have an appreciation for playtime if you never have to work, and while some will disagree with me, I believe that, to some extent, the converse is true as well.
