“Let us be lazy in everything, except in loving and drinking, except in being lazy.” – Gotthold Ephraim
Posted by Mat in UncategorizedOkay.
During my daily commute, I notice things. Today, I watch as a woman almost caused a pile up of commuting bodies while exiting the train with her rollerbag briefcase. You know what these are, they are those laptop bags that have wheels, and a long handle. I can understand on a 50lbs. suitcase, wheeling it behind you makes sense. However on a 10 lbs briefcase? How lazy do you have to be to pickup and carry your laptop case? Swing it over your shoulder? Most days I just want to take a short run, and punt those stupid roller bags through the uprights… or at least onto the third rail.
The stereo in my Truck… HAS A REMOTE CONTROL! What kind of lazy fuck, said.. “You know what really gets me? Having to reach all the way to the dashboard to work the controls while in my car.”
I firmly believe that we, as creatures on these wonderful earth, need to do things in order to survive. How bodies are made to work. We grow stronger with exertion, we are healthier when we sweat out the bad stuff. I’m okay with this, I will admit to having the potential to be one of the laziest creatures on the planet. I have no qualms about laying around like a walrus for days on end, leaving my bed only to visit the bathroom and the kitchen, which is probably why I have the body of a walrus, but there are limits…
I wonder sometimes how much our need to mechanize and economize our movements and effort really helps us. We want more of everything, our food has high caloric density, so we have to eat less. We’ve moved into the “information age”, which means most of us sit on our asses all day, so we burn less calories. Yet, on average portion size have grown to ridiculous sizes. ( Burger King, sells a Triple Whopper… eat that in a “King Sized” meal and it’s 1990 calories. According to BK’s website anyway. Now when McDonalds opened in 1940, it’s “Burger Meal”, was what is now a “Happy Meal”, a regular burger, small fries and a small coke… 630 Calories. )
Even the other jobs have gotten sedentary. Farming used to entail plowing, and planting, and even with the use of the machines, it was hard work. Now, most farming is done while riding in a huge specialized machinea… sitting on their asses.
So the ultimate paradox, we spend our lives finding ways to reduce our work, and billions of dollars on the Fitness industry. Gyms, Films, Equipment all guaranteed to make us look like we work for a living.
Hrm… I really should get out of bed… I’m getting hungry….
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