Writer's Block

The art of blog writing is wasted on the young. Television, Facebook, text messages and twitter take whatever brilliant idea we think up and transforms it into a dull, emotionless stare with the little drip of drool rolling down the chins of teenagers everywhere. 

You see, we don’t hate working or thinking. It is simply that we are extremely lazy. Sleeping takes priority over papers. Aimlessly clicking through pictures on Facebook takes priority over math equations. Watching movies on Netflix takes priority over studying physics formulas and theorems. 

In essence, laziness takes priority over work. 

The art of procrastination takes a lot of skill. To consistently reject any form of work takes a lot of dedication. Not only do you have to go against the natural urge to stay busy, but you also have to block out the agonizing guilt that results from doing nothing all day. Others are breaking their backs, laboring under the sun or piles of paper, and here we are, lounging on our couches, eating peanut butter and potato chips. 

All this time spent doing nothing. All this time spent doing absolutely nothing at all. This time could have been spent finding a cure for cancer or used in preparation for the SAT. With all this time wasted on idle luxuries, the world could be a more productive place. 

But alas we still procrastinate. Put off today what you can do tomorrow..or the next day...or the next day. 

Procrastination does, however, aide in the process of imagination. In those idle times of lying on the couch, listening to music and browsing the Internet for new and exciting sites, worlds open up in our heads. We see a world that is completely our own; uncharted and waiting to be explored. In this world, there are no tests or college applications or college entrance exams. In this world, Harvard or Yale or Cornell or Boston College doesn’t loom down on us, pressuring us to be the best or better than the best. In this world, we are free to express ourselves in any way we choose. There are no teachers breathing down our necks. No guidance counselors reminding us to complete our applications. No colleges sending us e-mails about all the great educational pursuits they offer. Just ourselves.

In this society, being perfect is everything. Our parents want us to be perfect so we can have a better life than they did. But what if we don’t necessarily want that? What if we just want to be happy with our natural form instead of the perfect mold others wish? We can’t all be doctors or lawyers. We can’t all go to Harvard of Princeton. We can’t all become famous. 

Maybe that’s why we tend to procrastinate. Through procrastination, we hold on to that last sliver of childhood we have left. 

We yearn for those long, summer nights playing kickball in the street or capture the flag at the park. We long for long walks along the beach, running away from the tide as it rushes in. We wish that those buggy nights filled with the echoes of “I found you” or “One, two, three MANHUNT!” weren’t becoming distant memories.

We don’t want our childhood to end. 

Procrastination is our rebellion against society and its values. It's our way of staying true to ourselves.