“I’m telling you Leo, the concept of ‘laziness’ doesn't actually exist,” Ralph said as he continued stocking the rack with Cheetos. Leo was propped up by his elbows on the counter, face sunk in his palms. He was balancing a pen on his nose, adjusting his face to keep it from tipping over. Traffic through the store had been nonexistent for a few hours, so the two workers were having a difficult time trying to occupy themselves. The pen on Leo’s nose tumbled down as he raised an eyebrow at Ralph.
“What do you mean? How can laziness not exist?”
“Thiiiink about it, man. Laziness is a word used to ‘other’ people. We don’t usually see ourselves as lazy. We always save the term for people we try to guilt or just straight oppress. It’s like a way to keep people in line, keep them obedient.” Ralph continued stocking down the row as Leo’s face compressed and crinkled trying to comprehend what his coworker had just said.
“Ralph. What the hell are you talking about?”
Ralph chuckled a little bit and shook his head.
“All right. Look. Think about it like this: do you think you’re lazy?”
“I know I’m lazy,” Leo scoffed, rolling the pen back and forth on the counter.
“How do you know you're lazy?”
“Because I've been told I was my whole life.”
Ralph didn’t respond. Instead, he stood smirking at his friend. Leo flicked the pen slower as a realization set in. He stopped and held his head up. His eyes went wide and sparkled with revelation. “Oh… Shit...”
“Exaaaaactly!” Ralph exclaimed, wagging his finger in the air, feeling pride in having led his coworker to this revelation. “See! You believe you're lazy because that’s what you’ve been told your whole life. Now, you’ve suffered the consequences of that social conditioning, which has oppressed you from realizing that there might be a deeper seeded issue you need to address. Let me ask you this now: what actually keeps you from doing things?”
Leo pondered the question for a while as Ralph patiently waited on his response.
“Well, I end up procrastinating—or straight up avoiding responsibilities—because I’m too anxious to try anything due to the fear of failure, or I’m too depressed to really care about anything, which usually comes from me being anxious over failure. And sometimes I’m too burnt out from overdoing myself due to the first two problems. I think all of that has accumulated into this need to go above and beyond for people because, if I don’t, I get blamed for not trying hard.”
“So, let me help you break all that down. You’re simply just preconditioned to be afraid of failure, which is something that had been nailed into you one way or another during your younger, more influential years. That fear also spawned the feeling of being unmotivated, which is also a completely natural response to have. You've been taught to be a people pleaser, going above and beyond realistic expectations because that is the socially acceptable thing to do. The truth is you don’t owe anyone anything. That means, you’re not actually lazy, Leo. And it is a-okay to not go above and beyond the call of duty just to make others validate you.”
Before the two could continue their conversation, a woman walked into the store. She didn't so much as bat an eye at the two, walking straight down the aisle Ralph was on. The two workers covertly watched her as she scanned a section for a while, got visibly frustrated, and began walking up to the counter.
“Excuse me,” she said in a harsh tone to Leo, counteracting the politeness of her words. “I need a bag of Utz brand potato chips and I don't see any on the shelf over there. I need you to go look in the back for some.”
“I'm sorry, ma’am. We don't sell that brand here,” Leo stated matter-of-factly, believing that would be the end of the conversation.
“Well, are you too lazy to go check in the back?” The woman's voice grew louder and shrewder, making Leo raise his eyebrow at her. She was going to be that kind of customer, huh. He could see Ralph easing his way closer to him, but his coworker was definitely trying to stay out of this and just be a witness to what Leo would do.
“That's not it, ma'am. I've just worked here for a while now, and I know that’s not a brand we sell here.” Leo kept his voice mild and polite, trying to handle this situation the best could.
The woman's eyes widened, and her scowl deepened.
“You’re just too lazy to go look. Go and check in the back.” She was essentially demanding him at this point, making Leo flinch a little. He looked from the woman to his coworker. Ralph was watching the scene intently. Leo brought his eyes back to the woman. He breathed in deeply.
“No.”
The woman narrowed her eyes and let out a sigh of disgust.
“Lazy little shit.”
She gave one last hrmph and started striding out the door, talking under her breath. “Young ones these days just don't want to work is all it is…” She continued to mumble to herself as the door closed behind her.
After the coast was clear, Ralph made his way to Leo.
“Do you see what I mean?”
“Usually, I hate it when you're right about things,” Leo said, sighing in relief, “but people really do expect you to go above and beyond for them, even when they know it’s not going to make a difference. Why should I make the effort and wear myself out when I know the outcome will be the same if I do or don’t do something?”
“Exaaaactly, my friend. You didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, you did exactly what you were supposed to, then set a boundary by not doing anything else. That isn’t laziness. That is true progress, Leo.”
Ralph made his way back to the aisles to continue to stick while Leo propped himself back up on the counter.
“Now… let me tell you why capitalism is bullshit…”
Garrett Cothran was raised in—and is currently living—in the rural town of Summerville, Georgia. He is currently a Senior at Kennesaw State University, finishing his Bachelor of Arts in English. He plans to pursue a writing career after graduation.
Garrett was inspired to write by the works of Edgar Allan Poe and Stephen King while attending Trion High School. During his first years in college, he began being inspired by fantasy authors such as Brandon Sanderson and Andrzej Sapkowski. Beyond the realm of novels and short stories, he also took inspiration from a variety of comics, manga, animated series, and movies.
As a child, he showcased his creativity by drawing comics and writing storylines for them. Beyond his passion for writing, he also had a passion for music. He played tuba in the Pride of Trion Marching Band throughout high school. He also began playing guitar at the age of ten, picking up bass guitar not long afterward, and playing in a multitude of different local groups.
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