YOU ARE DOOMED TO BE ‘LAZY’ BECAUSE YOU’RE JUST LAZY

3:34 AM MAKIKO VOICE, THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS 1 Comment

Introduction

It is a challenging world. Rapid economy and social changes due to (local and international) development is forcing people to become extremely competitive – whether we like it or not. For people that come from a slow-pace culture, catching-up is inevitable.

Believe it or not, slow-pace societies have enjoyed the luxury of space and time for a very long time. Thus, it has become rooted in each of its individual members – that is why it is a culture (widely accepted & practiced by this group of people). Logic would agree that if you add space and time together to equate productivity (or output) the result is expected to be low (I must say, extremely LOW). This outcome, however, is based on the scale whereby both average-speed and fast-pace are also being measured using the same benchmark set.

Anyway, some who is very much in denial would say that it is a fallacy when LAZINESS is said to be the attributes for people that come from a slow-pace culture. Either it is a true or not, the answer can vary from different perspectives. From a macro point of view, slow-pace cultures usually have a slow economy and social development growth.

Both economy and social developments is people driven. Hence, when others made direct references of these people to certain personality/quality attributes, they may have good justification of making that point. Take an easy instance where 2 different groups are given the same amount of raw materials and resources. These groups are expected to produce manufactured goods within 7-days time frame. At the beginning of the task, no further instruction was given. Both groups are expected to self-manage its people. Group 1 comprises of individuals who are naturally competitive and fast, while Group 2 enjoy working at its own given comfort level. Based on this information, which group does you think will succeed and deliver better results?

Body

To examine laziness as an individual personality attributes one must be clear of at least one (1) contributing factor; which justifies the existing of this said attribute. In view of social factor, culture play the most significant part – especially at influencing human behavior and personality attributes.

Even when a person is forced with education/ learning, placement of values for the acquired knowledge (or skills) is very much dependant to human behavior and personality attributes. E.g. Mr. A attends all lectures throughout his 3 years course. His action stops there. In lectures, Mr. A does not pay attention and does not take notes. If behavior assessment to determine ‘laziness’ is based on the level of participation (i.e. action 1- attend class, action 2- pay attention, and action 3- take notes), clearly Mr. A has failed to complete the set of expected actions. For this given example, accepted way of doing things could have been the ONLY reason for Mr. A’s behavior. It could be from the existing surrounding; i.e. his friends who are in the lectures are acting the same like Mr. A, or it could be the trait that Mr. A has personally developed from where he comes from.

On the contrary to the above, even when a person is given with opportunity, it is still subjected to the person’s perception of the opportunity values. These values will trigger the sets of behavior expected from the said individual. E.g. Ms. B is given with a few options to choose of getting financial assistance to further her studies. Each of the options requires different kind of documentation requirements to be completed. Ms. B personal preference is the one where the least action is required from her; since all options are seen to be giving the same things she is looking for. If behavior assessment to determine ‘laziness’ is based on the preferred number of actions (i.e. least action, more action, most actions) by Ms. B, clearly her choice is set at the lowest level of commitment. Ms. B’s preference could be influenced from the usual way of doing things, either from the existing surrounding or from where she comes from. Or it could also be the trait of Ms. B, herself.

When the least amount of contribution or participation is given by a person, and that the amount is directly associated to the expected outcome, it is, no accusation but, a simple conviction – You are just LAZY, because you fail to fully utilize ‘yourself’!

>> STOP <<

Conclusion

THE TRUTH: It is not fair to judge an individual and call him/her a LAZY person, just because of the cultural background.

THE TRUTH: However, laziness is a personality attribute that is associated directly to an individual, regardless of the cultural background.

THE TRUTH: One could opt to make adjustments to deliver better results. Results must be from the objectives identified at the beginning of setting an expectation.

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Disclaimer: This entry is written based on my personal observation and opinion. If any part of the content is found to be insulting or seems to be directly related to anybody you know (or even yourself), it is just coincidence, and is not meant to be directly intended for any specific person/group.