I’m compelled to do so, and I can’t (won’t) be interrupted from my agenda. And what is my agenda based on? When I practice a little self-reflection, a host of ugly little motives come crawling out from under the rock — guilt, the need to win approval, fear of insignificance, desire to gain a reputation, or a hunger to silence other voices that haunt me when life gets quiet.
It is moral laziness because, for the busy person, tending a bunch of irons in the fire can be the easier path. I would rather expend energy on some task I can handle than engage in the harder work of cultivating relationships or putting up with someone who is needy or squandering time on something that has no foreseeable payoff. Or listening to God.
Busyness can be a matter of presumption and pride. If I don’t do it, it won’t get done. I can’t trust others. I see it as a waste of valuable time and resources to partner with them and have to deal with their mistakes when I could get it done so much faster and more efficiently. It’s not only my agenda, it’s my timetable, and my standards that rule. I’m in charge.
It is moral laziness because, for the busy person, tending a bunch of irons in the fire can be the easier path. I would rather expend energy on some task I can handle than engage in the harder work of cultivating relationships or putting up with someone who is needy or squandering time on something that has no foreseeable payoff. Or listening to God.
Busyness can be a matter of presumption and pride. If I don’t do it, it won’t get done. I can’t trust others. I see it as a waste of valuable time and resources to partner with them and have to deal with their mistakes when I could get it done so much faster and more efficiently. It’s not only my agenda, it’s my timetable, and my standards that rule. I’m in charge.
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