| Laziness is a sin—everybody knows that.
We have probably all had lectures pointing out that laziness is immoral, that it
is wasteful, and that lazy people will never amount to anything in life. But
laziness can be more harmful than that, and it is often caused by more complex
reasons than simple wish to avoid work. Some people who appear to be lazy are
suffering from much more serious problems. They may be so distrustful of their
fellow workers that they are unable to join in any group task for fear of
ridicule or fear of having their ideas stolen. These people who seem lazy may be
paralyzed by a fear of failure that prevents fruitful work. Or other sorts of
fantasies may prevent work; some people are so busy planning, sometimes planning
great deals or fantastic achievemens, that they are unable to deal with whatever
"lesser" work is on hand. Still other people are not avoiding work; strictly
speaking, they are merely procrastinating—rescheduling their day. Laziness can actually be helpful. Like procrastinators, some people may look lazy when they are really thinking, planning, contemplating, researching. We should all remember that some great scientific discoveries occurred by chance or while someone was "goofing off". Newton wasn't working in the orchard when the apple hit him and he devised the theory of gravity. All of us would like to have someone "lazy" to build the car or stove we buy, particularly if that "laziness" was caused by the worker's taking time to check each step or his work and to do his job right. And sometimes, being "lazy" —that is, taking time off for a rest is good for the overworked student or executive. Taking a rest can be particularly helpful to the athlete who is trying too hard or the doctor who's simply working himself overtime too many evenings at the clinic. So be careful when you're tempted to call someone lazy. That person may be thinking, resting, or planning his or her next book. |