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The Three Kinds of Laziness

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Re: The Three Kinds of Laziness

#41

Post by obviouslygreen »

I have a close friend who's an intentional Buddhist. Based on my values and habits, he refers to me as a Buddhist; though this isn't something I choose for myself, I have a hard time disagreeing with him. So understand that my evaluation here is based on a limited understanding and not that of someone who follows this philosophy.

Based on my understanding, this is crap.

First off: Buddhists aren't trying to perfect themselves. They seek stillness and reflection, and harmony. Perfection isn't part of that lifestyle because it's not even a concept they believe in.

Second: Essential? Essential IS sleeping and eating. What about programming or resolving any of the impermanent problems of the human race is any more important, in a necessary sense, than the very vital acts that result in one's continued existence?

Life is short, and if we want to develop our inner qualities it's never too soon to start getting down to it.

This post, in its entirely a quote (or pair of quotes, I can't quite tell), succeeds only in telling us that the things we think we ought to do don't matter at all and we should instead concentrate on... something, and that something isn't even hinted at, let alone defined in a meaningful way.

Re: The Three Kinds of Laziness

#42

Post by AlexDanger »

throwaway1980 wrote: post #40

Does anyone else feel kind of confused and guilty when they read this? It just seems so condescending to me. I like eating and sleeping. I pay a lot of attention to these things. If you're eating well and sleeping well, your life is probably going pretty good. Sure, I'm going to die, that's why food and sleep matter even more. This planet would be a pretty happy place if everyone was eating and sleeping as much as th…

I think you're missing the point of the article.

Firstly, everyone understands the difference between healthy sleeping/eating versus sloth and gluttony. Everything in moderation right?

Secondly, you confuse ego with self-importance. A poor ego doubts itself and may never attempt a daunting task because of the belief one is not 'good enough' to complete it. This becomes a convienient excuse to avoid doing difficult (but worthwhile) tasks. A healthy ego will undertake challenging tasks, because failure (in the traditional sense) is ok - failure will not define you as a person. The success comes from learning along the way.

Thirdly, we all have to do trivial things. This is a fact of life. However, how many times have you focussed on non-essential details in a project to avoid the meat of the thing? Its a common form of procrastination I catch myself doing. You also see it in overstuffed corporate environments - the term 'busy work' comes to mind.

Re: The Three Kinds of Laziness

#43

Post by hkmurakami »

obviouslygreen wrote: post #41

I have a close friend who's an intentional Buddhist. Based on my values and habits, he refers to me as a Buddhist; though this isn't something I choose for myself, I have a hard time disagreeing with him. So understand that my evaluation here is based on a limited understanding and not that of someone who follows this philosophy. Based on my understanding, this is crap. First off: Buddhists aren't trying to perfect t…

Wouldn't you say that that 'something' is an entirely personal choice?

Re: The Three Kinds of Laziness

#44

Post by pastaking »

The third kind of laziness is a contagious type of procrastination that eats away at you slowly from the inside. You won't know what happened until one day you realize that you're hollow.

I realized exactly that a few years ago (when I got into a car accident) but I didn't relate it to laziness. It's so important to have the courage to stop beating around the bush, especially when it comes to getting what you want out of life.

Great post! Now I'm intrigued by buddhism.

Re: The Three Kinds of Laziness

#45

Post by obviouslygreen »

hkmurakami wrote: post #43
obviouslygreen wrote: post #41

I have a close friend who's an intentional Buddhist. Based on my values and habits, he refers to me as a Buddhist; though this isn't something I choose for myself, I have a hard time disagreeing with him. So understand that my evaluation here is based on a limited understanding and not that of someone who follows this philosophy. Based on my understanding, this is crap. First off: Buddhists aren't trying to perfect t…

Wouldn't you say that that 'something' is an entirely personal choice?

You certainly could. But if that were their intention, it'd kind of defeat the purpose of suggesting that some things didn't qualify as "something."

Re: The Three Kinds of Laziness

#48

Post by DustinCalim »

stormbrew wrote: post #24

For all the people who seem to find buddhist philosophy uplifting and empowering, I've never been able to see it as anything but deeply depressing. "Not doing anything with your life? Think about death and that'll fix it." ... I don't see it.

Sounds like your glass is half empty; try inverting your view

Re: The Three Kinds of Laziness

#49

Post by hkmurakami »

obviouslygreen wrote: post #45
hkmurakami wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wouldn't you say that that 'something' is an entirely personal choice?

You certainly could. But if that were their intention, it'd kind of defeat the purpose of suggesting that some things didn't qualify as "something."

Good point. I myself think that maximizing the time you get to spend in bed is a perfectly worthy objective for life. :)

Re: The Three Kinds of Laziness

#50

Post by brudgers »

obviouslygreen wrote: post #45
hkmurakami wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wouldn't you say that that 'something' is an entirely personal choice?

You certainly could. But if that were their intention, it'd kind of defeat the purpose of suggesting that some things didn't qualify as "something."

Does nothing qualify as something?
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