Why does laziness even exist?

[Jahmaine]

What is the function of laziness or procrastination? 

Not why does it happen, or how to solve it, but what value does it serve as a mechanism?

[mandyjw]

For survival purposes, valuing rest and avoiding potentially dangerous situations can be very smart. 

 

[Spiral]

Less energy spent, less food needed, higher chance of survival.

[silene]

Acting on immediate impulse doesn't always lead to the wisest choices. Sometimes you don't know all the facts, or haven't delved deep enough into your feelings, to know what to do for best. So waiting for a while can be a good idea. It's not necessarily laziness.

On the other hand, you may know perfectly well what needs doing and still procrastinate, because you are in a mechanism of short-term gratification and survival at the expense of long term. 

[Bill W]

Both can be very useful tools to help facilitate hitting rock bottom. 

[universe]

Maybe stability and equilibrium? Its also good for survival as it preserves energy.

[Nak Khid]

2 hours ago, Jahmaine said:

What is the function of laziness or procrastination? 

Not why does it happen, or how to solve it, but what value does it serve as a mechanism?

Do you fell you engage in this more than you should or do you see it more in other people?

It's a matter of self judgement whether or not something is deemed laziness or procrastination.

Somebody decides they should be doing something for the better of themselves or other people but instead does something else.

The function of is to avoid mental pain.

The mind feels comfortable in habits.   It could even be a habit that is physically painful.

This operates on a subconscious level.

The conscious mind decides that a certain behavior is unproductive  or damaging  and says to itself "let's stop eating a pint of ice cream and two slices of pizza each day we are getting fat"

But the subconscious mind doesn't understand that it only wants pleasure and it sends to extra pain signals if you try to undo what it's used to, somewhat like a dog.   But this dog has a lot of power because it controls feelings and make you feel pain.

If you submit to the dog you get that wonderful pint of of ice cream again but then later you pay consequences.

Or you could become addicted to something painful like making a little cuts in your arm.   And the subconscious mind starts to like the thrill of
of that and then starts doing it as a habit.    So even something not instantly physically addictive becomes mentally addictive, a habit that compels you to keep doing it.    The subconscious mind like the short term benefits and can't comprehend the long term results.

It could even be something seen as good.  A person starts taking piano lessons.  They practice by themselves also as usual.
They become good at it and they start doing it more.  It feels good.    But you need more to live than just being a great piano player.
They start to get obsessed and they are playing all day and all night.  Their friends and family drop away, they don't have time for them anymore.   Other people think their skills are a great thing and encourage it.   
This is one of the functions of laziness and procrastination: avoidance.
Meditation could even be misused this way where the person becomes addicted to a tranquil state in order to avoid more difficult and uncomfortable situations.  One person is deemed lazy and tries to avoid work as much as possible . But another works so much they become a "workaholic". That same work become a form of laziness and procrastination relative to other parts of their life which they neglet - too much of a good thing becomes in part a bad thing.

That is why we need to add a little discomfort to our lives to practice being able to handle adversity and not run to instant gratification.
Easier said than done. It could take some people a lifetime to find balance
 

 

 

 

[Lento]

Maybe the world is moving way too fast. Maybe our authentic selves should be lazy. Don't be too harsh on yourselves. We aren't machines.

[Telepresent]

The majority of what motivates you is not intellect. Perhaps it's worth questioning the value judgements intellect makes on the bodily aspects it does not control

[silene]

I 

12 hours ago, Nak Khid said:

This is one of the functions of laziness and procrastination: avoidance.

I wonder if this is linked to the fight & fight response. I recently learned that f&f has been renamed as ff&f: fight, flight and freeze response. It's a short-term survival strategy. If there's an underlying anxiety or fear we are avoiding, then procrastination to avoid the issue could be (emotionally) like an animal curling up and playing dead, or burying their head in the sand until the threat goes away. Except that usually the problem is still there tomorrow, but the primitive "reptile" brainstem area of our brains which controls ff&f doesn't think rationally. 

Edited December 20, 2019 by silene
Grammar.

[Nahm]

16 hours ago, Jahmaine said:

what value does it serve

Self discovery. ‘We came’ to get deeply sucked in, to get absolutely completely lost. 

It’s not a point, but a feeling which is a natural offset, pointing us back to purpose & creating. 

[VeganAwake]

For laziness to exist there would have to be something to compare it to..

I don't believe in purpose or meaning.

And since in my opinion "nothing really matters"... laziness is just a comparison word that somebody created...

Comparison is pointless if there's no end result required...

Laziness means nothing.

[WelcometoReality]

@VeganAwake You beat me to it. Well put.

@Jahmaine Does laziness exist if you remove "good" and "bad" from activities?