I'm writing a short paper about how laziness and creativity/ability to solve problems/adaptation are all connected. I am entering a psychological essay contest. It's a local one with a $200 cash prize. So I figure counting mine there will be 3 people entering. So I'll need a pretty good essay. I am an eighth grader heading into high school, just to let you know where I’m coming from. Here’s my essay, I just need some opinions.
Laziness to Creativity/Ability to solve Problems/Adaptation
Laziness has been branded as an insult and a bad quality. Yet, I’m here to change that. For laziness isn’t an insult or a bad quality. It is a character trait, just like being optimistic. Yes some character traits are better than others, yet is active truly better than lazy? That is what I figured out.
You may think that the title items are unrelated, yet through deep thought their connection is obvious. Example 1A, a person is sitting on the sofa watching television, the clicker is at the end of the coffee table, a active person would get up and get the clicker. Thus not using any brainpower or creativity to solve the problem at hand. Yet, the lazy person will think of a way to solve the problem using the least amount of effort. The lazy person could A, push the end of the coffee table down and slide the clicker towards them, B, look around them for a long object that could be used to move the clicker into arms reach, or C what ever else they could think of.
How adaptation and laziness are alike is very simple. When an active person sees a mess they immediately think clean it up, without any thought or regard about any action they could set in place. Now a lazy person thinks if the mess could affect them in anyway, and if it does if the effect is worth the effort to fix the problem and if its not they adapt. Example 2A, a person comes down to the lower level of their home and sees a mess on the floor from their pet. An active person first instinct would be to clean it. A respected choice yes, and sometimes the choice of the non-active as well but a lot of the time it is not a necessary one. Think of this from a lazy child’s point of view, they walk downstairs and see this mess, they could A, go back upstairs until someone else who they know will clean it up will see it so they don’t get yelled at for not cleaning it up because to the active persons knowledge they didn’t know, B, avoid the mess, C, if its not a mess that can rot or become a health hazard to the person like shedding or animal toys simply ignore it, it doesn’t affect you why mess with it and the lazy person will adapt to the situation. Example 2B, a person is sitting in a chair and a fly lands on their leg, the first instinct of an active person is to swat it, most likely causing them to lose their comfort in the chair, and probably missing the fly letting it continue on. A lazy person could A, just sit their and wait for the fly to go away, B, ignore the fly knowing it can’t hurt you, or C, figure out some plan to kill the fly.
Another easy example between laziness and adaptation is the ability to, as I must bluntly say, take it. Example 3A, two people are sitting in a room, a lazy person and a active person. Then the phone rings. Yet, neither get up to answer it, the lazy person knows if they wait long enough the ringing will get to the other person and they will answer it. Saving a trip for the lazy person, and stimulating the brain with yet another mind puzzle.
Here is a hidden connection to laziness to intelligence. Example 4A, a sibling/spouse/roommate walks into the bathroom to use the toilet, and sees either urine on the seat or the seat up. They know it’s from their sibling/spouse/roommate so they yell, for the person who they suspect it is for them to clean it up. Now who is the lazy person here? The person who came into the bathroom and saw the mess or the person who has to come and clean it up? In truth it’s usually the person who came into the bathroom and saw the mess. Why you ask? Think about it, it would take much less effort from both parties if the person who came into the bathroom cleaned the seat or put it down. It would take more effort to yell the persons name, get their attention, get them to come into the bathroom, get them to clean it up, then scold them, than just to do it yourself. A lazy person considers these factors and takes into account, is what I’m putting in worth what I’m getting out? Considering all these factors really stimulates the brain.
Now here is a topic where I get talked to a lot about. Messy rooms. The thing that most active neat freaks don’t understand is that clean and neat is an opinion. Clean can be an entire different level of clean to someone else. In my humble opinion if the person can access necessary items in their room, like clothing, bed, and windows it’s perfectly fine. There is a famous quote I must say, “Organized people are just too lazy to look for things.” Yes, that is true, but does that mean that all lazy people are organized? No it most certainly does not. Lazy people are too lazy to organize things. They are much happier searching for items in their clutter. Now the term organized chaos is true to a point. If a person says they are organized, now organized is an opinion as well, ask them to list where they know items are in their space. If they can list a large number of them then they are organized.
Lazy people see life as a puzzle and active people see it as a training exercise. Active people see items and think they must be done now and throw off schedules. While lazy people plan items by importance and the consequences if it doesn’t get done.
Just to state the point, just because someone is lazy doesn’t mean they are out of shape or don’t participate in any activities. Also the title of active was given as an antonym of lazy, not as the definition of into physical activity or in shape.
All examples I have experienced. I fall into the lazy category. If you take one thing away from this essay I hope it is this; laziness isn’t a bad quality or an insult, it is simply a trait, and from what I’ve researched, can be a better trait than being active. Yet that is also an opinion. Most of you came into this essay bias because I was trying to make laziness not seem so bad. Yet my points should have ended your prejudice. If not, I feel sorrowful for you.
By,
ME!
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