Chapters 16-18 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 16 - Three Kinds of Laziness

Laziness inhibits our wakeful energy. There are three kinds of laziness: comfort orientation, loss of heart, and "couldn't care less." Comfort orientation comes from avoiding inconvenience. It causes us to lose touch with the texture of life and always seek stasis. Loss of heart comes when we forget how to help ourselves and we become mired in a "poor me" world view. "Couldn't care less" is similar to loss of heart, except there is no soft spot of vulnerability for us to hold on to. It is more aggressive and deeper rooted than loss of heart.

There are three methods humans use for relating to laziness: attacking, indulging, or ignoring. Those that attack condemn themselves for their laziness and wallow in guilt. Those that indulge in their laziness justify and even applaud it...