Our own ingenuity
has created a plague. It is devouring
our communities and making everything occur slower. Our ability to create machines
such as computers to make our lives easier has in turn, made us as a society, Lazy. It is the duty of those who can see what is going on to expose to
those who cannot see, the situation that they are unaware of.
I used a computer
to write this essay, and they are a great tool, but I do believe we are
beginning to rely on them way too much in our daily lives. (See my entry on Are We Witnessing The Creation of Our Own Version of Skynet 27 Match, 2011) [Blog entry not referred to in orginal submitted essay]
For example I
didn’t have to handwrite this [although my handwriting was atrocious before the the use of computers to write], remember any rules of punctuation, or even how to spell for that
matter. My computer takes care of that for me.
Words and phrases have even come to be replaced by jumbles of letters,
e.g. I C UR going home, SMH, ROTFL, and TTYL.
When was the last
time you can recall handwriting a letter or message to someone.
It is no wonder that when the SAT’s started requiring a handwritten essay in 2006 that only 15 percent of the students wrote in cursive out of 1.5 million, the rest printed in block letters. As of Fall 2011 the Indiana Department of Education has decreed that handwriting, an ‘archaic method of communication’, and will no longer be taught in schools, instead they will instruct the children in the lazy way of the keyboard (granted I wrote this on a computer, as it was required).
It is no wonder that when the SAT’s started requiring a handwritten essay in 2006 that only 15 percent of the students wrote in cursive out of 1.5 million, the rest printed in block letters. As of Fall 2011 the Indiana Department of Education has decreed that handwriting, an ‘archaic method of communication’, and will no longer be taught in schools, instead they will instruct the children in the lazy way of the keyboard (granted I wrote this on a computer, as it was required).
Laziness shows up
in our schools, workplaces, and recreational activities. Unless we find a way
to combat it, our society is doomed to mediocrity, and to be taken over by
nations which are more mentally and physically prepared and not to mention, energetic.
Homework has
always been a staple of school. Students have plenty of spare time after school
to accomplish it. The unfortunate fact is, due to laziness many students simply
do not carry out this simplest of tasks.
Why? Rather than engage their
brains in an intellectually stimulating activity, they focus on their cell
phones or grind away at some insipid video game.
If one were to
look at an average teacher’s grade book it is guaranteed that in most instances
the class will have lower grade points. The facts are that in completing the
homework assignment the student(s) would be prepared for tests and quizzes, and
thus improve their grades. For those
struggling with certain subjects, homework and the exams would alert the
instructor that these students require more in depth attention and assistance. If
these students did not choose the path of laziness their grades would improve
and their understanding of the subject matter would as well. Laziness can be
prevented.
These same
students then go out into the workplace, where they rely on machines once again
to do their work for them. We have
allowed machines to take over the running operations of the world.
For reference I have observed time and again that cashiers cannot do the simple
in head calculation of making change for their customers without the use of the
cash register.
Walk into a store
such as Wal-Mart, and you will notice signs that laziness has stricken both employees
and customers. Merchandise on the floor or in an unorganized state on the
shelves, with employees passing by, ignoring it completely. Laziness made it so
that a customer didn't place the merchandise back on the shelf [the “It’s Not My Job Syndrome”]. Even at a
place of business, laziness is apparent and poisons society.
This noxious behavior returns in the form of recreational
activities. Children used to partake in activities such as going for a walk,
playing a game of basketball, fishing, playing at the park, or simply reading a
book for enjoyment or to enhance their intellect & education. When was the last time you
saw a kid sitting down and reading a good book of their choice; not one that
was assigned as the dreaded homework?
However, now that
laziness has taken hold of the community, Children are staying in their own
little virtual worlds. They’re in their room, playing on their iPhone's, Xbox or computer or
listening to their MP3 players, and the reason behind it is, they are too lazy
to get up and do something. Once again,
all thanks to our own ingenuity.
Laziness has taken
over our communities in a negative way.
It is making the United States mentally and physically unhealthy. It is
makes our students unwilling to do simple tasks, or be willing to accept any
responsibility. Ask any kid to take out
the trash in today’s society and they want to get paid for it or else it’s not
worth getting up for.
The child forgets
that they would be assisting the family and in turn themselves! As they are
getting a roof over their head, a bed to sleep in, food in their stomachs, their
clothes laundered, electricity for their gaming systems, an Internet connection
for their computers, water for their showers, and transportation to and from
their activities. They should be grateful and perform any chore requested of
them by their parental units without any monetary gain!!!
Laziness has seeped into our society, educational systems,
work, marketplaces and families. Laziness is in part, the underlying cause for dissent
within the community. It can and must be
stopped. The tool for combating laziness
and be successful is called Effort.
BRAVO THOMAS!!!
BRAVO THOMAS!!!
