10 June, 2012

A SPECIAL PIECE BY OUR SON THOMAS

Today I would like introduce a special piece by our son Thomas.  He has hit on a particular affliction to our children: Laziness!  Read the following and please comment.  Thomas submitted this as an entrance essay to the University of North Florida.  Now on with the Show!....

     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).
     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!!!

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