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The School of Life, The Hard Work of being Lazy

The Hard Work of being Lazy

At times, perhaps without quite knowing why, we slip into a resolutely ‘lazy' mood.

We're simply not able to write anything new or can't face setting up more meetings.

We don't want to clean the fridge or go out to befriend prospective clients. All we

have an appetite for, it seems, is to loll on the sofa and maybe dip randomly into a

book, wander down to the shops and buy a packet of biscuits or spend an hour or so soaking

in the bath. We might, at an extreme, merely want to sit by the window and stare at the

clouds. For a long time.

In such states of mind, we're rapidly liable to be stigmatized as profoundly (and incorrigibly)

‘lazy' by friends or - more painfully - by our own conscience. Laziness feels like

a sin against the bustling activity of modernity; it seems to bar us from living successfully

or from thinking in any way well of ourselves. But, to consider the matter from another perspective,

it might be that at points the real threat to our happiness and self-development lies

not in our failure to be busy, but in the very opposite scenario: in our inability to

be ‘lazy' enough.

Outwardly idling does not have to mean that we are neglecting to be fruitful. It may look

to the world as if we are accomplishing nothing at all but, below the surface, a lot may be

going on that's both important and in its own way very arduous. When we're busy with

routines and administration, we're focused on those elements that sit at the front of

our minds: we're executing plans rather than reflecting on their value and ultimate

purpose. But it is to the deeper, less accessible zones of our inner lives that we have to turn

in order to understand the foundations of our problems and arrive at decisions and conclusions

that can govern our overall path. Yet these only emerge - shyly and tentatively - when

we are feeling brave enough to distance ourselves from immediate demands; when we can stare

at clouds and do so-called nothing all afternoon while in fact wrestling with our most profound

dilemmas.

We need to distinguish between emotional and practical hard work. Someone who looks extremely

active, whose diary is filled from morning till night, who is always running to answer

messages and meet clients may appear the opposite of lazy. But secretly, there may be a lot

of avoidance going on beneath the outward frenzy. Busy people evade a different order

of undertaking. They are practically a hive of activity, yet they don't get round to

working out their real feelings. They constantly delay the investigation of their own lives.

They are lazy when it comes to understanding particular emotions. Their busy-ness may be

a subtle but powerful form of distraction.

Our minds are in general a great deal readier to execute than to reflect. They can be rendered

deeply uncomfortable by so-called large questions: What am I really trying to do? What do I actually

enjoy and who am I trying to please? By contrast, the easy bit can be the running around, the

never pausing to ask why, the repeatedly ensuring that there isn't a moment to have doubts

or feel sad or searching. Busy-ness can mask a vicious form of laziness.

Our lives might be a lot more balanced if we learnt to re-allocate prestige, pulling

it away from those with a full diary and towards those wise enough to allow for some afternoons

of reflection. We should think that there is courage not just in travelling the world,

but also in daring to sit at home with one's thoughts for a while, risking encounters with

certain anxiety-inducing or melancholy but also highly necessary ideas. Without the shield

of busy-ness, we might bump into the realisation that our relationship has reached an impasse,

that our work no longer answers to any higher purpose or that we feel furious with a family

member who is subtly exploiting our patience. The heroically hard worker isn't necessarily

the one in the business lounge of the international airport, it might be the person gazing without

expression out of the window, and occasionally writing down one or two ideas on a pad of

paper.

The point of ‘doing nothing' is to clean up our inner lives. There is so much that

happens to us every day, so many excitements, regrets, suggestions and emotions that we

should - if we are living consciously - spend at least an hour a day processing. Most of

us manage - at best - a few minutes - and thereby let the marrow of life escape us.

We do so not because we are forgetful or bad, but because our societies protect us from

our responsibilities to ourselves through their cult of activity. We are granted every

excuse not to undertake the truly difficult labour of leading more conscious, more searching

and more intensely felt lives.

The next time we feel extremely lazy, we should imagine that perhaps a deep part of us is

preparing to give birth to a big thought. As with a pregnancy, there is no point hurrying

the process. We need to lie still and let the idea gestate - sure that it may eventually

prove its worth. We may need to risk being accused of gross laziness in order one day

to put in motion projects and initiatives we can feel proud of.

Our online shop has a range of books and gifts that address the most important and often neglected areas of life.


The Hard Work of being Lazy Die harte Arbeit der Faulheit El duro trabajo de ser perezoso Le dur labeur de la paresse Il duro lavoro di essere pigri 怠けることの大変さ 게으름을 피우기 위한 노력 Sunkus tinginystės darbas Het harde werk van lui zijn Ciężka praca bycia leniwym O trabalho árduo de ser preguiçoso Тяжелая работа быть ленивым Важка праця бути лінивим 懒惰的艰苦工作 懒惰的艰辛

At times, perhaps without quite knowing why, we slip into a resolutely ‘lazy' mood. Kadang-kadang, mungkin tanpa cukup mengetahui alasannya, kita tergelincir ke dalam suasana hati yang sangat 'malas'.

We're simply not able to write anything new or can't face setting up more meetings. Wir sind einfach nicht in der Lage, etwas Neues zu schreiben oder können es nicht ertragen, weitere Meetings einzurichten. Nous ne sommes tout simplement pas en mesure d'écrire quoi que ce soit de nouveau ou de faire face à la mise en place de plus de réunions.

We don't want to clean the fridge or go out to befriend prospective clients. All we Wir wollen den Kühlschrank nicht putzen oder uns mit potenziellen Kunden anfreunden. Wir alle Nous ne voulons pas nettoyer le réfrigérateur ou sortir pour nous lier d'amitié avec des clients potentiels. Tous nous

have an appetite for, it seems, is to loll on the sofa and maybe dip randomly into a avoir de l'appétit, semble-t-il, est de se prélasser sur le canapé et peut-être de plonger au hasard dans un

book, wander down to the shops and buy a packet of biscuits or spend an hour or so soaking

in the bath. We might, at an extreme, merely want to sit by the window and stare at the

clouds. For a long time.

In such states of mind, we're rapidly liable to be stigmatized as profoundly (and incorrigibly) In solchen Geisteszuständen werden wir schnell als zutiefst (und unverbesserlich) stigmatisiert. Dans de tels états d'esprit, nous risquons rapidement d'être stigmatisés aussi profondément (et incorrigiblement) Dalam keadaan pikiran seperti itu, kita dengan cepat mungkin akan diberi stigma yang sangat dalam (dan tidak dapat diperbaiki)

‘lazy' by friends or - more painfully - by our own conscience. Laziness feels like

a sin against the bustling activity of modernity; it seems to bar us from living successfully un péché contre l'activité bouillonnante de la modernité ; il semble nous empêcher de vivre avec succès dosa melawan kesibukan modernitas; tampaknya menghalangi kita untuk hidup dengan sukses

or from thinking in any way well of ourselves. But, to consider the matter from another perspective, ou de penser du bien de nous-mêmes. Mais, pour considérer la question sous un autre angle,

it might be that at points the real threat to our happiness and self-development lies il se peut qu'à certains moments, la véritable menace pour notre bonheur et notre développement personnel réside может оказаться, что в определенные моменты реальная угроза нашему счастью и саморазвитию заключается в следующем

not in our failure to be busy, but in the very opposite scenario: in our inability to не в нашей неспособности быть занятыми, а в прямо противоположном сценарии: в нашей неспособности

be ‘lazy' enough.

Outwardly idling does not have to mean that we are neglecting to be fruitful. It may look Le ralenti extérieur ne signifie pas nécessairement que nous négligeons d'être fructueux. Cela peut sembler

to the world as if we are accomplishing nothing at all but, below the surface, a lot may be

going on that's both important and in its own way very arduous. When we're busy with continuer est à la fois important et, à sa manière, très ardu. Quand nous sommes occupés avec 중요하면서도 그 자체로 매우 힘든 일입니다. 다음과 같은 일로 바쁠 때는

routines and administration, we're focused on those elements that sit at the front of les routines et l'administration, nous nous concentrons sur les éléments qui se trouvent à l'avant de

our minds: we're executing plans rather than reflecting on their value and ultimate nos esprits : nous exécutons des plans plutôt que de réfléchir à leur valeur et à leur finalité

purpose. But it is to the deeper, less accessible zones of our inner lives that we have to turn objectif. Mais c'est vers les zones plus profondes et moins accessibles de notre vie intérieure que nous devons nous tourner

in order to understand the foundations of our problems and arrive at decisions and conclusions

that can govern our overall path. Yet these only emerge - shyly and tentatively - when

we are feeling brave enough to distance ourselves from immediate demands; when we can stare

at clouds and do so-called nothing all afternoon while in fact wrestling with our most profound

dilemmas.

We need to distinguish between emotional and practical hard work. Someone who looks extremely Nous devons faire la distinction entre le dur labeur émotionnel et le dur labeur pratique. Quelqu'un qui a l'air extrêmement

active, whose diary is filled from morning till night, who is always running to answer actif, dont l'agenda est rempli du matin au soir, qui court toujours pour répondre

messages and meet clients may appear the opposite of lazy. But secretly, there may be a lot

of avoidance going on beneath the outward frenzy. Busy people evade a different order

of undertaking. They are practically a hive of activity, yet they don't get round to начинаний. Они - практически улей активности, но они не успевают

working out their real feelings. They constantly delay the investigation of their own lives. ihre wahren Gefühle herausarbeiten. Sie verzögern ständig die Untersuchung ihres eigenen Lebens. découvrir leurs vrais sentiments. Ils retardent constamment l'enquête sur leur propre vie. прорабатывают свои настоящие чувства. Они постоянно откладывают исследование собственной жизни.

They are lazy when it comes to understanding particular emotions. Their busy-ness may be Ils sont paresseux lorsqu'il s'agit de comprendre des émotions particulières. Leur occupation peut être

a subtle but powerful form of distraction.

Our minds are in general a great deal readier to execute than to reflect. They can be rendered Unser Geist ist im Allgemeinen viel eher zur Ausführung als zum Nachdenken bereit. Sie können gerendert werden Nos esprits sont en général beaucoup plus disposés à exécuter qu'à réfléchir. Ils peuvent être rendus Наш разум, как правило, гораздо охотнее исполняет, чем размышляет. Их можно сделать

deeply uncomfortable by so-called large questions: What am I really trying to do? What do I actually глубокий дискомфорт от так называемых больших вопросов: Что я на самом деле пытаюсь сделать? Что я на самом деле

enjoy and who am I trying to please? By contrast, the easy bit can be the running around, the profiter et qui est-ce que j'essaie de plaire ? En revanche, la partie la plus facile peut être la course, la 즐기고 누구를 기쁘게 하려고 하는가? 반면에 쉬운 부분은 이리저리 뛰어다니는 것, 즉

never pausing to ask why, the repeatedly ensuring that there isn't a moment to have doubts ne jamais s'arrêter pour demander pourquoi, s'assurer à plusieurs reprises qu'il n'y a pas un moment pour avoir des doutes

or feel sad or searching. Busy-ness can mask a vicious form of laziness.

Our lives might be a lot more balanced if we learnt to re-allocate prestige, pulling Unser Leben könnte viel ausgeglichener sein, wenn wir lernen würden, das Prestige neu zuzuweisen und zu ziehen Nos vies pourraient être beaucoup plus équilibrées si nous apprenions à réattribuer le prestige, en tirant

it away from those with a full diary and towards those wise enough to allow for some afternoons loin de ceux qui ont un journal bien rempli et vers ceux qui sont assez sages pour permettre quelques après-midi

of reflection. We should think that there is courage not just in travelling the world,

but also in daring to sit at home with one's thoughts for a while, risking encounters with mais aussi d'oser rester un moment chez soi avec ses pensées, risquer des rencontres avec

certain anxiety-inducing or melancholy but also highly necessary ideas. Without the shield certaines idées anxiogènes ou mélancoliques mais aussi très nécessaires. Sans le bouclier

of busy-ness, we might bump into the realisation that our relationship has reached an impasse, Wenn wir geschäftig sind, könnten wir auf die Erkenntnis stoßen, dass unsere Beziehung in eine Sackgasse geraten ist. d'agitation, nous pourrions nous heurter à la réalisation que notre relation est dans une impasse,

that our work no longer answers to any higher purpose or that we feel furious with a family que notre travail ne répond plus à aucun but supérieur ou que nous nous sentons furieux contre une famille

member who is subtly exploiting our patience. The heroically hard worker isn't necessarily député qui exploite subtilement notre patience. Le travailleur héroïquement dur n'est pas nécessairement

the one in the business lounge of the international airport, it might be the person gazing without celui du salon affaires de l'aéroport international, c'est peut-être la personne qui regarde sans

expression out of the window, and occasionally writing down one or two ideas on a pad of

paper.

The point of ‘doing nothing' is to clean up our inner lives. There is so much that Le but de « ne rien faire » est de nettoyer nos vies intérieures. Il y a tellement que

happens to us every day, so many excitements, regrets, suggestions and emotions that we

should - if we are living consciously - spend at least an hour a day processing. Most of devrions - si nous vivons consciemment - passer au moins une heure par jour à traiter. La plupart de

us manage - at best - a few minutes - and thereby let the marrow of life escape us. gérons - au mieux - quelques minutes - et laissons ainsi la moelle de la vie nous échapper. мы успеваем - в лучшем случае - несколько минут - и тем самым упускаем костный мозг жизни.

We do so not because we are forgetful or bad, but because our societies protect us from Nous ne le faisons pas parce que nous sommes oublieux ou mauvais, mais parce que nos sociétés nous protègent de

our responsibilities to ourselves through their cult of activity. We are granted every nos responsabilités envers nous-mêmes à travers leur culte de l'activité. On nous accorde chaque

excuse not to undertake the truly difficult labour of leading more conscious, more searching excuse pour ne pas entreprendre le travail vraiment difficile de diriger des

and more intensely felt lives. et des vies plus intensément ressenties.

The next time we feel extremely lazy, we should imagine that perhaps a deep part of us is La prochaine fois que nous nous sentirons extrêmement paresseux, nous devrions imaginer que peut-être une partie profonde de nous est

preparing to give birth to a big thought. As with a pregnancy, there is no point hurrying preparing to give birth to a big thought. As with a pregnancy, there is no point hurrying s'apprête à donner naissance à une grande pensée. Comme pour une grossesse, ça ne sert à rien de se presser 큰 생각을 품고 출산을 준비합니다. 임신과 마찬가지로 서두를 필요는 없습니다.

the process. We need to lie still and let the idea gestate - sure that it may eventually

prove its worth. We may need to risk being accused of gross laziness in order one day доказать свою ценность. Возможно, нам придется рискнуть быть обвиненными в грубой лени, чтобы однажды

to put in motion projects and initiatives we can feel proud of. pour mettre en branle des projets et des initiatives dont nous pouvons être fiers. для реализации проектов и инициатив, которыми мы можем гордиться.

Our online shop has a range of books and gifts that address the most important and often neglected areas of life. Notre boutique en ligne propose une gamme de livres et de cadeaux qui abordent les domaines les plus importants et souvent négligés de la vie.