Lenistwo i pracoholizm w perspektywie duchowego zagubienia współczesnego człowieka

The subjects of this article are two polar extremes: laziness and workaholism, examined in the context of man’s lost spirituality. Contemporary forms of laziness stem from the ideological crisis and existential emptiness. These forms mutate into apathy, depression and acedia – a spiritual torpor. And what underlies all of these is atheism. Losing sight of the supernatural horizon of man’s existence inevitably leads to the impairment of his own self-understanding, including such vital aspects of his life like work, striving for self-perfection, or service and dedication to his fellow human beings. Whenever God disappears from man’s horizon, his points of reference and reasons for creativity also disappear. Seen from this perspective, workaholism appears to be a form of escape from the integrity of man’s life. It is also the result of intemperance, flowing from the materialistic anthropology which places man’s fulfillment in a purely horizontal perspective. Man – as seen in a theological perspective – is not a slave to the world. Neither has he been made for passivity and laziness. Man is invited to master the world and to transform it rationally in accordance with God’s will. Both laziness, i.e. avoiding work, and redefinition of its importance, contradict God’s plan towards man. Work and rest and feasting find their most satisfactory justification and perspective in the light of God’s Revelation.