The Joys of Laziness

by Skald

Sitting in the H2O coffee shop. They are playing the "John Tesh" radio show-- hardly a subversive program. But tonight he's talking about the "benefits of living a lazy lifestyle." According to Mr. Tesh, research shows that lazy people live much longer. They have far less stress. And they report greater satisfaction with their lives.

Of course, readers of this blog already know that! The work world loves to send the opposite message. We are bombarded with propaganda about the "work ethic". People who work 50-70 hour weeks are admired for their "dedication" and "committment". In education, students learn that boring "hard work" is valuable, while play has nothing to do with learning.

What a crock of shit. Play is what its all about.

At my current job, I dont "work" at all. Everyday I tell stories, play games, connect with cool people, and have conversations. Since my students are not native speakers, I sometimes need to explain words/grammar. But Im not working. In fact, the minute it becomes work, Ill quit.

Work sucks. Hard workers have heart attacks. Hard workers get divorced. Hard workers never see their kids. Hard workers are resentful when they get laid off.

Lazy people celebrate (time to travel !!). Lazy people play. And in my experience, lazy people are more effective on the job. They dont want to do boring things, so they find ways to make their job fun. They dont want to work hard at drudgery, so they find easier, faster, better ways to do things. They bring in other people to make things easier... and to generate more ideas. They have a rich life away from the job, and so are more fun, interesting, and innovative.

Lazy people arent afraid to sit for hours, just thinking.

Lazy people arent afraid to remain silent and just listen.

Lazy people arent afraid to share power.... in fact, they love to give it away.

Cultivate inspired laziness and become what Kerouac called, "A do-nothing man of Tao".

You'll live longer. You might even make more money.