Laziness: new epidemic sweeping society, afflicting millions

T.J. Gerlach - Senior Editor

T.J. Gerlach – Senior Editor

I have noticed an epidemic sweeping the area recently. It is not a disease of the body, or of the mind; it is a disease of habit. I do not refer to dietary habits or exercise habits (well, maybe)

Nay, the epidemic I speak of concerns nothing other than laziness, defined as the resistance to work or exertion.

Lethargy, sloth, indolence; call it what you will, I have seen a definite rising trend in the level of laziness.

I see perfectly able-bodied individuals opting for elevators in only two and three-story buildings. Others who are clearly able to carry the weight use the wheeled backpacks.

I cannot help but laugh at and wonder about the people I see in parking lots driving up and down the rows searching for that one spot that is 10 feet closer to the door than the spot the just passed. This is not only extreme laziness, but I find a large waste of time and a waste of fuel.

What is funny here is the spot I found near the end of the row leading to the door is actually closer to the spot these people end up taking because it is at the front of another row. Apparently, some people forget some simple rules of geometry.

This disease extends beyond these cases. It has overgrown into schools, primary through higher education. It transcends age, afflicting both young and old, though the elderly often have valid excuses. But even with their reasonable excuses, I find elderly people are still more willing to exert energy than other generations.

I cannot count the number of articles I have read or the number of television reports I have seen warning Americans about how lazy we are. Our lack of activity is adding to the waistlines of many Americans, especially our children. In one of my classes recently, I heard of a third grader suffering from hypertension and people in their 20s suffering from preventable, non-genetic, heart diseases.

Education has begun to suffer the consequences of laziness. Many students look for the easiest way to complete assignments, such as using the prepared notes sold in stores, copying friends’ old homework for classes the friends had previously or the ever-popular Internet course.

Ah, yes, online courses. I must admit, I get a lark when I hear about those who took an Internet course for the easy A, but found the class actually required effort. Still, with the advent of these courses, education had nowhere to go but down the drain. It is no surprise foreign companies make cheaper, yet higher-quality versions of the products we produce domestically, and they do it more efficiently.

It is also my firm belief many of the psychological disorders nowadays are only excuses for certain types of laziness.

Attention Deficit Disorder is one of my biggest pet peeves. I am sure there are true cases of it, but I believe many times it is the result of lazy parenting. Parents are unable to control their own children so they take them to counselors, who diagnose the children with ADD.

Please do not misunderstand me. I know in some instances the cases I have mentioned do actually involve circumstances of which I am unaware and which are uncontrollable to the people they inflict. And I myself occasionally choose the lazy way, as does everyone at one point or another.

But in large part, lethargy has increased to the point is afflicts the majority of the population.