Laziness Does Not Exist

by Devon Price

The Laziness Lie is a belief system that says hard work is morally superior to relaxation, that people who aren’t productive have less innate value than productive people. It’s an unspoken yet commonly held set of ideas and values. It affects how we work, how we set limits in our relationships, our views on what life is supposed to be about.

As adults, we define people by their jobs—he’s an actor, she’s a mortician—categorizing them based on the labor they provide to others.

Slacking off is a normal part of life; people require idle time in order to remain clearheaded and healthy.

When we consciously make time for idleness and embrace our naturally lazy feelings rather than pushing them away, we can learn what matters to us, and which demands need to be dialed way back. With a rejuvenated, relaxed mind, we can see new solutions to old problems and find new reserves of strength we didn’t know we had.

When you’ve been taught all your life that your productivity determines your value, it’s really easy to become alienated from your body. Instead of seeing your body as a fundamental part of who you are, you come to see it as a means to an end. Our culture views bodies as tools that exist to be used and objects that exist to win the approval of others.