Kick Back, Relax!

At a family gathering this afternoon I was talking with my cousins about their jobs. One stated that he always needs a project to occupy his time, while the other promptly said "I could go a whole day without getting off the couch, and I'd be completely content with that." I thought to myself, hey, that does sound kind of nice... In Moderation! Most people can agree that having a date on the calendar with nothing of importance, and utilizing that by engaging in a thoughtless day of recuperation is nice. But for American's it is becoming habitual. 

Have you ever heard Bruno Mars' catchy tune Lazy Song? It encompasses the stereotypical lazy day that we all envy every once in a while. Lying around in bed, being completely oblivious to the world around you, and being completely happy in doing so. Laziness has been propagandized in recent years because, quite frankly, it is encouraged. Are we becoming a lazy nation?

A good start to answering this question is looking at how we choose to spend our leisure time. NPR cited an American Time Use survey which yielded information regarding the workday of the average American. Turns out, since 2007, we are working less (26 minutes daily) and goofing off more (sleeping, watching TV, etc...). "'What we do' determines who we are, 'what we don't do' also matters. And - help yourself to another beer - the question of how we use our leisure time gets at the heart of the American experience," said Linton Weeks in his NPR segment. 

So what is the American experience? To some, being devoted to exercise is high on the priority list, to others it may be sitting with yourself and your game console for hours upon end. And everything in between. 

The problem isn't that we have all of the free time to be this lazy, we are the wealthiest nation in the world which, according to CNN has brought us 360 extra hours or leisure time since 1965, the problem is that a good percentage of United States citizens could be using this time to be more productive. It has become somewhat of an epidemic, and I admit that I have caught it also.