Laziness is a sin:everyone knows that.We have probably all had lectures pointing out that laziness
is imnormal,that it is wasteful,and that lazy people will never amount to anything in life.But
laziness can be more harmful than that,and it is often caused by more complex reasons than the
simple wish to avoid work.Some people who appear to be lazy are suffering from much more serious
problems.They may be so distrustful of their fellow workers that they are unable to join in any
group task for fear of being laughted at or fear of having their ideas stolen.These people who seem
lazy may be deadened by a fear of failure that prevents fruitful work.Or other sorts of fantasies
may prevent work;some people are so busy planning,sometimes planning great deals of fantastic
achievements,that they are unable to deal with whatever "lesser"work is on hand.Still other people
are not avoiding work,strictly speaking;they are nearly procrastinating rescheduling their day.
Laziness can actually be helpful.Like procrastinatinators,some people look lazy when they are really
thinking,planning,researching.We should all remember that some great scientific discoverise occurred
by chance.Newton wasn't working in the orchard when the apple hit him and he devised the theory of
gravity.All of us would like to have someone "lazy" build the car or stove we buy,particularly if
that "laziness" were caused by the worker's taking time to check each step of his work and to do his
job right.And sometimes,being "lazy",that is,taking time off for a rest is good for the overworked
students or executive.Taking a rest can be particularly helpful to the athlete who is trying too
hard or the doctor who's simply working himself overtime too many evenings at the clinic.So be
careful when you're tempted to call someone lazy.That person may be thinking,resting or planning his
or her next book.