People Aren't Lazy

Maybe I'm biased, but I don't believe that people are fundamentally lazy. Our whole modern world seems founded on this misconception. Why do people need jobs? Because, if they didn't have them, they'd give themselves over to lounging and debauchery. Every person is a malingerer at heart.

Can this really be true? In my experience, laziness is a sort of coping strategy for stress. I'm only lazy when I'm too busy or feel that I'm being forced to do something by someone (and not by a situation).

When I really feel relaxed, I do something creative. I get bored with simple entertainment pretty quickly. It doesn't take long before I need something meaningful to do and I often don't have trouble finding it. I'll practice music or read about an interesting topic. I imagine that, if I didn't need to work, I'd do this with most of my time. I bet something good for the world would come out of it; not just something that is self serving.

I suppose everything I've claimed hinges on one core idea: that people get bored with simple entertainment pretty quickly. Maybe a debate could start there. Maybe I'm just the kind of person who gets bored easily so I believe this to be true about everyone. But does that claim really seem so controversial? Almost everyone I know suffers from boredom.

Another legitimate point of debate might concern how easy it is for the average person to find something meaningful to do if they run out of entertainment. I feel less certain about that one.