The Importance of Laziness

I remember when I was a kid.  I thought the world revolved around me.  I don’t think my parents made a huge deal out of it or anything.  I just think that’s part of being a kid.  Your view of the world is so narrow that you really can’t conceive of it being bigger than your own experience.  Honestly, I think I experienced this right up through college and maybe a little after even. 

Then, I turned 30 and my mortality slapped me in the face.

Since then, I have often been troubled by the thought that, “It’s all a big nothing.”  Life, I mean.  In the end, nothing you do really matters.  You work hard, do well, and die anyway.  15 years later no one even remembers anything about you, AND that’s among your own friends and family members.  15 seconds after you leave your job, they move on and you are completely forgotten.
 
After realizing this, I got depressed.  I thought about how pointless any effort was.  Then, I started looking around and realized that I think there are basically two types of people.  The first type are the people who just deny reality.  These are the folks who pretend that their job/career really matters.  That the company really cares about them and that they are irreplaceable.  I have also noticed that these are the people who end up working till they’re nearly dead.  Why do they do that?  Because that’s all they know or have ever known.  It's what fills the hole inside of them. 
 
On the other hand, there are other folks out there.  Sometimes, these people are categorized as lazy or not willing to give everything to their work.  I used to despise these people, but I am finding that there is more to it than I thought.  True, there are those who are just worthless, and I’m not talking about them.  I am talking about the others.  The ones that kind of live outside the normal parameters of their job.  Are they prideful in who they are and what they do?  Sure, but they have the sense to realize that it’s all temporary.  It doesn't matter.  One day you are flush and the next you are bust.  The economy takes a downturn or the business gets sold, they get fired, and it doesn’t bother them at all.  Why?  Because they see it for what it is.  It’s a job.  It’s not life.  It’s not who they are.  It’s a means to an end.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.  So why kill yourself?

I want to be more like that.  I want to live in the present.  To take advantage of every second.  To prioritize my time and spend most of it with Jessica breathing in the free air.  Sure, I want to work hard and do well.  I think that hard work gives something to your spirit as well, but I don’t want to lose myself in it either.  I'm talking about priorities and learning to live with a certain amount of balance.  That's very hard for me, but I want to get better at it.