It is essential that we take the necessary steps to protect the environment
It is essential that we take the necessary steps to safeguard the environment. It feels so good to be back! We’re all managing side hustles, adopting productive grind sets, and monetizing our hobbies to avoid wasting an afternoon. But it’s also an opportunity for introspection: what is it about laziness that feels morally wrong? Why does doing nothing make us so uncomfortable? And is laziness actually a thing? Let’s find out in this Wisecrack Edition why laziness is the greatest American sin.
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Laziness as a moral concern has been around at least from a Judeo-Christian perspective since Adam and Eve got kicked out of the Garden of Eden. Later, the Church codified this with an included sloth as one of the seven deadly sins. Building on these Biblical roots, the notion of human labor as an indispensable source of value, aka work ethic, was born. Puritans brought the concept of laziness to North America and today laziness is defined as the quality of being unwilling to work or expend energy.
Unlike being tired, unmotivated, or depressed, laziness is treated like it’s an essential trait: someone isn’t being lazy, they are lazy. And the youngest generation to enter the workforce are guaranteed to be the lazy ones. Gen Z has been stereotyped as lazy and unaware, Millennials were called lazy and unwilling to work, and Gen X was recently labeled the original quiet quitters. People in lower economic groups are often cast as lazy bones draining the welfare system. So who isn’t lazy? Well, historically it’s been well-dressed (or these days hoodie-clad) business bros who use their intelligence and hard work to make bank.
So when and how did laziness become the Scarlet Letter of modern-day society? Well, evolutionarily it’s normal for humans to conserve energy. However, humans don’t like being idle either. I mean, have you ever tried being bored? Kind of sucks. But if you feel like wanting to conserve energy and be productive seems a little paradoxical, you’re absolutely right. It’s what scholars refer to as the Paradox of Effort: sometimes we want to do as little as possible and other times the act of doing something is intrinsically rewarding.