Do you ever sit around and do nothing — or nothing that is tied to a concrete outcome or goal?
Do you often feel guilty for spending time resting, daydreaming or lazing about? Or are these important parts of your everyday life? Do you agree that rest has a stigma, particularly in the United States? Can you give an example from your own life, or from something you’ve seen or heard about, when resting or laziness was looked down upon? Do you think laziness can be a good thing? Rabbi Kukla argues that prioritizing rest could help people take better care of themselves, each other and our world. Describe in your own words what that could look like. Or, if you disagree, explain why these actions would not bring about change.
The essay states: “It’s poor, unhoused, young, Black, brown, mentally ill, fat and chronically sick people who are most often accused of sloth. We rarely hear about lazy billionaires, no matter how much of their fortune is inherited.” What is your reaction to this statement? Does it match what you’ve seen or experienced in the world? Why or why not? If you were given a whole day in which you had nothing to accomplish and you did not have to be productive at all, how would you spend it? Would you take the opportunity to rest? Would you feel bad about taking a break? Would you opt to do work instead?
The essay states: “It’s poor, unhoused, young, Black, brown, mentally ill, fat and chronically sick people who are most often accused of sloth. We rarely hear about lazy billionaires, no matter how much of their fortune is inherited.” What is your reaction to this statement? Does it match what you’ve seen or experienced in the world? Why or why not? If you were given a whole day in which you had nothing to accomplish and you did not have to be productive at all, how would you spend it? Would you take the opportunity to rest? Would you feel bad about taking a break? Would you opt to do work instead?
