In many Third World countries, there may appear to be an overabundance of laziness. What one has to remember is that there is a qualitative as well as a quantitative aspect to lethargy. Certainly, people do not have the quality of sedentary lifestyle we can enjoy in the United States. Our mattress, couch, and snack-food industries surpass every nation on earth. We do not have to worry (as much) about the government confiscating our furniture or food and increasing its NFL experience at our expense. So, members of those industries in the U.S. work harder to enhance our viewing pleasure, expecting that the rest of us will find a way to improve their free time.
This is not to say that all laziness and free time should be spent turning our muscles to fat and our brain cells to mush. Free time can be used to exercise, read the classics, learn a musical instrument, or do whatever you want. The general term "laziness" as I have used it encompasses every activity that is not done in exchange for the fruits of another person’s work.
So let’s hear it for laziness. It may seem paradoxical that we work so hard all year so we can sleep on the beach for a week in the Cayman Islands, but there is a method to our madness. As we work harder, leisure time for others increases in both quality and quantity, and we can assume that everyone else is returning the favor. Everyone else, that is, except the government.
The next time you hear about how our children are becoming fat and lazy, look on the bright side. Thanks to the hard work of those who have gone before, future generations can goof off more and more to their hearts' content.
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