Sri Karmayogi says the two things he excludes in his entire writings are dishonesty and laziness. Mother says when I say some one lazy I mean that he loves ignorance and the evil he is becoming.

These two made me to think, why laziness is slashed so badly by both. Is it more than just not doing things? Sri Karmayogi says, “of all the urge human has the greatest is to be lazy”. He also says that laziness is the willingness to avoid or postpone the highest progress you can make.

I analysed one hole day myself in these contexts it was shocking to see that every moment I want to be lazy. It was the day where I have to join a group discussion on “Manitha Swabhavam book”. Right from the morning, there was a dilemma on whether to go or not as I felt tired because of continuous work (?) and travel in that week. When I made up my mind to go the next question came to mind was whether to take car myself and decided to take an auto as I have to relax in Sundays. Thirdly whether to wear shoes or slippers and preferred slippers. Next one is whether to take that big book of Manith Swabhavam myself or can I share the next persons book, shall I take bath now or let me take rest and bath before going to program etc., are few of the morning thoughts I had. Though I can justify all, the truth is that my laziness clearly visible.

But why this? Dictionary meaning of laziness says, “a state of averse or disinclined to work, activity, or exertion, being indolent. We always think that we are here for pleasure and programmed for pleasure. Even the slightest discomfort or pain prevent us to do that unless there is pressure of some sort or some sort of external influence. Actually our “not able” to follow MOTHER’s principle in its true spirit is because of laziness-fear of discomfort.

If we go through the examples some of the forms of laziness, we can come out of the misconception that laziness is “not doing work”.

• Laziness that leads to procrastination on some pretext.
• Laziness in the form of not doing anything in the name of waiting for perfection or waiting till all components of the work is perfectly organized.
• Laziness raised due to fear of failure.
• Laziness due to fear of success.
• Laziness due to poor habits from food to presentability.
• Laziness due to poor attitude.
• Laziness in the name of self-discipline.
• Laziness due to self-doubt.
• Laziness due to diversion of attention to less important things: Appa gives examples such as reading days magazine or novel in morning hours, photography in the morning hours when there is a hectic schedule, unnecessary browsing of internet etc.
• Laziness In the name “I want to be myself”.
• Laziness based on inefficiency and unreliability.
• Surviving on other ability is also laziness.
• Failure to act, or not having any desire to act beyond immediate physical needs is laziness.

The list is endless. For example, health problem is actually a laziness of not doing exercise or of not following strict food regimen.

So laziness is not just sitting idle. We can see many people around us whom we term as useless will be very busy from morning till evening. Which means that we have termed him as useless because he is not doing anything that is productive in our eyes, though he seems to be busy. In the process we forget that we also do that many times, if not every time. For example, when yesterday my boss in the late evening asked me to do a urgent job I was at the peak of my frustration. The justification is that I worked the whole day. In fact, when I analysed on the above lines I found that, as I think I am programmed for pleasure and that pleasure comes only by watching a favourite reality dance programme in TV that day. As he hindered that happiness, it caused frustration and resentment. Though I know very well that TV is unproductive and satisfying boss at that time will fetch me rewards. I have also forgotten the fact that I have to do that tomorrow if not today.

Life is same. If we analyse our life, we can see that life has pressurized us to do the things that we left wantonly at some time or other. There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist or accept the responsibility for changing them. That needs dynamism.

Sri Karmayogi says not doing anything for progress in every moment is laziness. As any type of progress is evolution all our striving for progress will fetch the Grace as MOTHER is for evolution. APPA even says the most dangerous form of laziness is of those who are dynamic but never choose to work for the progress and of those who pretend to be most efficient and often pronounce that they are the most useful members in any society or organization.