Today I am pre occupied by the concept of “Lazy”.
I was watching a documentary that was named something like: I’m not lazy… And in it they proceed to make different propositions about specifically why we could be wrong to call people “Lazy”.
And I got their proposition. Because at the centre of that conversation is a question: According to whom?
Now I want to take a different tangent to this today and go back to our classical definition of laziness.
Those who know me know that for me words matter, and I believe one of the biggest challenges today is the loose use of words, which makes communication and comprehension very difficult.
So for many people, being labelled as LAZY feels like a massive insult.
It may well be.
But what does it mean?
Laziness is, contrary to popular belief, “not doing anything” . Or not being busy. Which is where people take offense whenever they are accused of laziness. “Because I work hard everyday…” the lament goes.
Laziness is not putting effort where effort is required and one has the wherewithal to act or perform to the requirements or expectations. So if walking is required and you don’t, reading is required and you don’t or any task that requires effort is expected and you don’t, you are lazy, assuming you satisfy the second condition: That you have the ability to.
As you will notice from the definition, it’s not a comment on your overall character, but a comment on certain behaviors or lack thereof.
Of course from here I can see how you go through your mind looking for examples to test this. Great!
While in that process, also remember that Laziness is not just about physical action, but it is also about thinking and being (spiritual effort). So one can br lazy to think (o botswa go nagana, my grandmother would say about people, and sometimes about us) or spiritually lazy.
Many of us get lazy at one or all of these levels at some point. It is important to remember that patterns also matter. If you tend to NOT DO what is requisite in the situation when you CAN, more often than not, then while you are allowed to feel offended by being accused of laziness, it won’t change the fact that you are Lazy.
Askies. The last element that adds to this conversation takes us back to the beginning : According to whom?
Now that’s where it gets interesting. Perception is not just a singular experience from a single source. It is a shared experience of implicit and explicit social contracts.
So if people accuse you of Laziness, ask yourself what explicit or implicit expectations flow from your relationship with those in your social systems, especially your accusers. Because at the core of that statement or label is perhaps an invitation to introspect, seek feedback and recontract.
Assuming the relationship matters to you. If it doesn’t, then one is welcome to stay in their own perception of what they believe the truth is. But if the relationship matters, take up the invitation and see what might come out of it for you.
What if people are just being mean? Well, it goes back to the same thing really… How will you know? How do you know? Explore, if only to assure yourself.
Being accused of being Lazy may feel like an insult, and may well be. But it could also be an invitation that there’s an opportunity to engage differently on mutual expectations and interpretations of behaviour.
© 2024
MC Makhalima,PhD
The Museletter 
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