Regression

Regression is happenstance. It happens so subtly that one does not recognize its grip until its far too late. Improvement or progress requires constant work. It demands commitment and determination. Regardless of the clichés, it is true that progress cannot be made under the thumb of complacency. The television steals away time and helps the laggard to indulge in what makes him happy and content. Happiness is not a sin. But if you stay muted by complacency, you will never contribute to the world. The slacker lifestyle is romanticized. The slacker thinks of himself as a genius-in-waiting, a hipster who is not going to conform. “I could do it…if I wanted to” is not a valid excuse. The platitudes are not entirely wrong. Is work a matter of duty, a matter of moral rectitude? It certainly is not. Work is intimately related to existence. Work is not an accumulation of merit for a place beyond, in anticipation of divine judgment. Work involves understanding the world, communicating with others to work towards community. It demands that we do not allow others to lead us aimlessly through the catacombs of modernity.