Let me examine this issue for I am of the opinion that laziness is intermittently beneficial to human beings.
If we constantly live manic, high energy lives that involve ticking off this before ticking off that, then I would ask - are we really living at all? As the poet W.H. Davies concludes in "Leisure":-
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
and I agree with him. Time for relaxation and reflection is crucial if we are to live fulfilling lives.
Investing every waking hour in work and home projects means that you never get time to weigh up how things might be going and before you know it there's new stuff in your mind
Why should we ever feel guilty about bouts of laziness? Why not just say it loud and proud - "I had a lazy day yesterday - I didn't do anything!"
People will often say, "What are you doing tomorrow?" or "What did you get up to yesterday?" or "What have you got planned for next week?". The answer "Nothing" should not always be delivered apologetically because "nothing" is often something. Closing your eyes to listen to the rain. Staring at the horizon as memories of long ago wash over you. Just sitting with your eyes half closed, breathing slowly and rhythmically in a kind of trance.
Laziness is an underrated state and it is quite different from boredom that is tinged with misery or withdrawal from the world of activity because you are just plain sick of it. I would go so far as to say we need laziness and to be very wary of the manic street preachers.
Buddhist monks often sit cross-legged, seemingly doing nothing. Perhaps they are watching a wood louse scurrying across the floor and maybe they are conscious of the wind ruffling the trees that grow next to the temple. Who is to say that they are living less significantly than the executives who jet across the world, logged in to their tablets or i-phones with people to see, places to go?
There is a lot to be said for being lazy.
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