Allowing our laziness to unfold in our alert awareness, without criticism or judgement, is something we all should learn to do. This is not embracing or rejecting our perceived laziness, but an attempt to understand it. It is an approach, for us to resolve the conflict and act in harmony with the totality of our immediate reality.

In this world, there are people who are relatively easygoing and relaxed, the thinkers and dreamers among us, who often ponder over things, that may not have an obvious immediate practical value. There are others, who are always doing something useful, motivated with remarkable energy and enthusiasm, the great achievers and busy doers of this world.

We, (the lazy ones among us), watch these driven doers in awe, while they go about their business, flawlessly executing their meticulous plans, marching successfully from one worldly achievement to another!

To the lazy folks among us, the doers of this world may appear like a different species altogether! We feel like those grasshoppers singing away our few days of summer in mirth, while the diligent ants of this world labour on, collecting food for the approaching harsh winter.

Not at all belittling their hard work, it is absolutely necessary to flourish in this world, with our vulnerable physical forms and associated material needs. The active doers among us, contribute to creating and maintaining the enormous edifice of technological advancement, which the whole humanity benefits from.

Marveling at the impressive progress humans have made in the material world, we may share their pride, mixed with a tinge of guilt, due to our personal laziness. In a predominantly materialistic world, some degree of laziness is implied, when we are inclined to indulge in our private spiritual pursuits.

Particularly, if we prefer to spend most of our free time alone in reading, self-reflection, contemplation or meditation. We may feel selfish or lazy, that perhaps we have not contributed enough as an individual to the world around us, like many of those diligent doers out there. There is a complex negative association and stigma attached with laziness.

‘Laziness’ is a label, for the conflict within us.

Laziness is the term we use for our state of being, when we perceive a gap between what we think we should be doing and what we actually are doing at any time. This conflict between what ‘should’ be done and what we actually prefer doing (or not doing), is labelled as laziness.

It is a judgement, an evaluation of ‘what is’, perceived through a screen of the projected what ‘should be’. In this inference, we often berate ‘what is’ negatively, creating a conflict with it, which brings us suffering.

When we avoid work that we believe should be done, many things that need to be dealt with, accumulate in our lives. As a result, we label ourselves ‘lazy’. This label is a concept, a name given to the above-mentioned conflict.

We are not justifying the so-called ‘laziness’ here. The things that need to be done may not be superfluous at all, they may genuinely require attention. These could be necessary things- like cleaning the house, buying supplies, mending something useful, cooking or exercising! No doubt, there may be physical consequences and material costs of our laziness.

There may be numerous practical chores in our daily lives, that accumulate over time, if we frequently slip into a habit of procrastination. Things that we do not feel like doing, or maybe we just like to wait for the right mood to strike, before we tackle them. Laziness often runs rampant and prevails!

These chores may not be urgent, just the many little tasks that are not important enough to make the priority list on any given day. Sitting on the to do list, patiently waiting for their turns, some may hover in this space for outrageously long time, strengthening our labels and judgements of laziness.

Many minor unattended chores gradually pile up, adding to our stress. Slowly, this adds weight on the mind, a psychological burden, getting heavier with each passing day. An undercurrent of guilt builds up, on every occasion of not doing, what needed to be done.

We glance at all the avoided chores from the corner of our eyes, acknowledging them on our mental to do list, then promptly drop them, until we are struck with a nagging guilt again.

Laziness, procrastination and guilt have a lopsided relationship. Guilt does not reduce laziness, it just adds further to the weight on our minds. This burden grows with the negative feelings of heaviness, self-reproach, resistance and frustration.

Judgement, disappointment, grudge and conflict start blotching our contentment. this is the psychological toll of laziness.

How can we not suffer, from laziness?

By facing our own resistance and avoidance, with an attitude of openness. Being aware of the complete surrounding truth of our laziness.

Sincerely accepting all the facts of the present moment. These facts include our reactions and complete response to the immediate situation, including our so-called laziness.

Knowing all of this, we allow our attitude towards the present moment to unfold completely, without judging it. Not reinforcing the heavily loaded label of laziness, on the freshness of the current new experience. Seeing it clearly as it is, not creating an image from it, to match with the repeating patterns of our past behavior.

We clearly see and completely understand, the naked fact of our so-called laziness, as the reality of this moment, just as it is now. We allow it the freedom to express without any obstruction. We remain alert and aware, not filtering our response against it, through the interference from our established patterns of judgement.

If we can do that, we grasp its whole context in the present moment. Understanding it completely, we are either spontaneously released from it, or we wholeheartedly accept it. Either way, there is a psychological freedom, from the conflict surrounding it.

Developing an attitude of responding to the needs of the moment, in the best possible manner within our capacity, is respecting and welcoming what is. Facing our laziness now, in this moment, completely understanding it, frees us from the psychological burden due to this perceived laziness.

In this alert awareness, we either act to immediately dissolve it, or fully commit to it, erasing all other possibilities. This spontaneously clears away the confusion, removing the tension and associated mental conflict.

The release from conflict with our perceived laziness, frees us to act from our whole wisdom in the present moment, in complete alignment with the whole reality of what is, right now.

Every situation is different, and needs its own alert presence for the right response. Sometimes, the so-called laziness may be the right response for that moment. On such occasions, allowing the guilt emanating from our idea of laziness, disturbs the clarity of the moment, resulting in suffering.

How do we resolve the guilt?

Guilt is a judgement against our response, towards a partially understood challenge. Guilt is a psychological residue of the incomplete understanding of the moment, it is an indication of our narrow, biased, conditioned and fractionated view of a situation.

Once we meet a challenge with our complete alert presence, we are aware of all its aspects, we understand and act effortlessly, in the most appropriate manner for that situation. We do not label our action (or non-action) as laziness, regardless of how it may be perceived.

In true spirituality, we act from our alert presence, respecting the totality of each moment. Even our perceived flaws are received in our alert awareness, as an integral part of our immediate current reality. We do not suffer with guilt or remorse, when acting in tune with the complete reality of what is.

Acting from our alert presence, our response is effortless, appropriate and complete. We are instantly free from the psychological residues of such a response, there is no lingering guilt or regret left behind.

The right action is moving along effortlessly, with the whole flow of what is, in every moment. It is completely free from the conceptual labels of either effort or laziness. This way of living free from the guilt and psychological burden of our perceived laziness, is available to us in every moment, to be renewed and refreshed!