The Value of “Lazy”

In the nature / nurture argument I stand firmly on team Nurture.

I understand (layman’s level), recognize and respect the roll that our genetics play. But I believe that our environment and behavior shapes our outcome & results far more than the DNA were were born with. The higher you climb on the elite performance ladder, the bigger the role your nature plays. But for the 99% of us, nurture is where the magic lies.

Having said that… there is one one piece of the nature equation that I pay a little more respect to. The inherently lazy nature of humans. Every one of us is lazy. I know I am. Everyone I have trained with is. Everyone I have coached or worked with is.

I don’t think that is disrespectful. I think it’s simply part of human nature – and it’s driven some incredible inventions over the years. Cars, computers, online shopping – all born from the desire for efficiency – or laziness 😉

You may not have the same view, and that’s likely because what looks like “lazy” is often context dependent.

Here’s a silly hypothetical thought experiment:

• Are we lazy because we don’t grow our own food?

I mean – we could, right? Sure – we could get into a pointless philosophical debate that we are. But in context, farming isn’t an efficient use of our time. Unless you are a farmer. If you are a farmer who chooses not to (for no reason) lay seeds in the spring or pick his ripened fruit in the summer, we could argue that you are lazy.

The context of the farmers focus / intention vs your or my focus / intention lays a framework for what can be defined as lazy.

For example, if the same farmer chose not to lay seed in the spring because the fruit he’s planting requires a specific nutrient to be present in the soil, and it’s not, then while his actions are the same the context is different and we can’t say he is lazy.

The absence of action is not necessarily the absence of energy, desire, motivation or will.

If that’s the case, what best qualifies us as lazy or not?

I think the answer is intention. We can take action with intention. We can choose inaction with intention too.

I am someone that lives with intention. But recently that intention has crossed a line – too much. And it’s got me into some medical trouble. In reflecting on my how I ended up where I am, this lazy debate has been on my mind a lot.

I think a lot of people “luck into” the optimal balance of lazy / focus, They don’t intentionally focus on inaction. It just happens. They allow the “inherently lazy” function that I believe is part of our nature to dial back without conscious thought. And it corrects the path, righting the ships course without the captain even knowing it…

And in one fell swoop order emerges from the chaos of our lives that I intentionally fight against with all good intention.

The nature is there for a reason.

There is inherent value in our laziness.

Fight it at your own risk.

~ Rory