"Most of what we do as human beings, both good and bad, is a form of habituation. Laziness is a type of affliction of the mind and of the spirit. It is a deeply debilitating lifestyle choice, and there are several types of laziness. One of them has to do with ones choice to not cultivate within themselves, the wellspring of energy necessary to do things. The other form of laziness has to do with people who have the energy to accomplish productive endeavors, but choose not to direct that energy into anything not providing instant and positive gratification. It begs the question why the choice of being lazy is made, when the penalties for doing so can be failure and other extreme consequences. Laziness, once allowed to grow, takes on a life of its own and has a momentum of its own. It is very much like Newtonian physics, in that a body in motion stays in motion, and a body at rest stays at rest. Once a person has habituated themselves to a lifestyle of laziness, their system becomes spoiled, and it is very difficult to break free from their habit, that some would even characterize as one of the so-called, seven deadly sins, that being known as slothfulness.
Laziness also manifests itself in less obvious ways, even in ways that reinforce that it is socially acceptable, and for which people are often greatly rewarded– seemingly so. For example, escapism is a form of laziness, because it takes energy and effort to entertain ones own self. Watching endless TV, reading endless novels, watching movies, watching sports, and endless recreation are simply forms of an unthinking and lazy mind, which has become accustomed to not even thinking for itself. These people have very little presence or self-awareness. It reaches a point, where in order to think, those thoughts need to be placed into the mind by outside sources. Therefore, one of the most extreme forms of laziness is the act of surrendering one’s own thinking capability, which is a form of surrendering one’s own humanity. There are millions and millions of unthinking people wandering around the world on autopilot. Many of these people are simply too lazy to actually hold the mantle of responsibility of being an actual full human being. Sadly enough, these people, who are on autopilot do not know that they suffer from chronic laziness and the affliction of unthinking, because they are simply too unthinking to make that realization on their own. They may even perform the duties and obligations of citizenry and domestic living, and therefore on the surface appear to pass muster as a dutiful, energetic and driven person. But make no mistake, that even such a person may in fact be extremely lazy and simply be like a robotic automaton, running on autopilot. Then of course there are people so afflicted by the diseased habituation of laziness, that they are not able to even perform those most perfunctory duties of living. These people live in an extreme state of dissatisfaction and drama, and are often times an extreme burden emotionally and financially on others.
Overcoming laziness can seem like a difficult task, however, it is really just a matter of having self-love and self-respect. There is no mechanism that will help one rehabilitate laziness directly, and there is seldom a way for a lazy person to even make the determination on their own, that they are in fact lazy. Realizing that you are lazy takes deep introspection, self-evaluation, and most especially, objective honesty, which are all skills that a lazy person is very unlikely to posses. This is why the best way to help a person with habituated laziness is to address the deeper issues supporting their laziness, whether they think they suffer from it, or not.
Here are the basics. No self-respecting person can be lazy. No person, with a good and healthy self-esteem can be lazy. No person who can truly say that they love themselves can be lazy. Because to be lazy means to throw one’s life away; it means to throw one’s potential away.
Each person was created with amazing powers to do wonderful things in the world. Each person was created with an enormous amount of energy that can be conjured, harnessed, marshaled and exerted in their lifetime. Each person’s life represents a magnificent flow of creator energy that can be directed towards the darkness and suffering that exists in the world, or any other worthy task. Any person who throws such amazing beauty, power, and hope into the garbage through the affliction of laziness, is in a very sad and low state. This is why laziness and slothfulness is a despicable and despised characteristic, because every person knows deep down, that it is a tremendous waste and disrespectful to that which has created us.
The important step that needs to be taken to overcome laziness, is simply developing a deep and abiding respect for the gift of life that you have been given. Any person who truly respects the life they have been given will certainly not squander that precious life, but will put it to good use and cherish every moment. Therefore, laziness is conquered only through humility. When we cultivate humility within ourselves for all that we have been given, even for the chance to be alive and to appreciate the smallest of things, it is impossible to be lazy. A person who is enthusiastic, humble and grateful for their chance at life will never allow themselves to squander that very short and brief chance they have to simply be. Not being lazy is not necessarily about what you do. There are many people, as I have said, who hustle every day, but who are still lazy as human beings. This is because they do not think for themselves and only do the bare minimum of what they need to do to live a meager existence in a meager and uneventful life of easy outs.
A person who is humble is also hungry; hungry to live life. See, doesn’t that seem counter-intuitive, that a person who is humble is also hungry? Does it make more sense that a person who is humble wants nothing? We all hear that a lot and from many sources, and while it may seem so on the surface, true humility is deeply desirous of expressing itself in all of the wondrous ways that a being can express oneself in this lifetime. Because true humility would never take the gift of life and waste it. So my advice is for everyone to simply develop a deep appreciation for the life they now have, and in doing so, laziness and numerous other debilitating habit will simply cease to exist in your life.
Life is a beautiful gift, but tomorrow is not guaranteed. The time to act is NOW, while you still can. Go NOW and begin living life to it’s fullest. Go and DO what makes you happy. Use your incredible powers to create the joyful and purposeful life you deserve."
~Bryant McGill
