aziness comes in a variety of skill levels. Of course, there is your basic garden-variety, couch-potato laziness where avoiding work is its own glorious reward. This type of laziness certainly has its own value and charm and should be encouraged and nurtured, as all laziness (even this tender sprouting) is heaven-sent.

At the other end of the spectrum are masters of laziness who have harnessed the immense power of doing as little as humanly possible. These advanced black belts in laziness not only enjoy the pleasures of work avoidance but they also are able to accomplish great things and amass great fortunes because they have abstained from work. It is this highly skilled form of laziness that drives all progress in society. Unfortunately, the unchallenged thinking in our culture calls laziness a blight on your character at best and at worst the Devil's workshop. Those of us who practice the high art of laziness are subjected to stinging rebuke and are harangued with mind-numbing repetition that to accomplish more in life we must work harder and longer.

"I put in 16 hours a day of hard work," is a typical boast from a poster boy for this twisted, snore-inducing mentality. Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with hard work and long hours per se. If you don't mind sacrificing your health, your family life, the rest of your life, and your spiritual evolution and you are willing to settle for a pedestrian achievement (snore), there is nothing wrong with working long hours. In this light, hard work has its own level of merit and satisfaction.