Born to be Idle

Glasgow is the "laziest city in the UK" according to the findings of a national health poll.Researchers questioned 2,049 people during May for the not-for-profit organisation, Nuffield Health. About 75% of Glaswegians who responded* admitted they failed to exercise at least three times a week. This figure was 67% for people from Birmingham and Southampton, with London just behind on 66%, Bristol on 64% and Leeds and Newcastle on 62%. The survey also suggested that some Britons were so lazy they would rather watch a television programme they do not like than get out of their chair to change channels.

From the BBC News Website

What a sad reflection on today's society. But, sadly, an accurate one. We live in an ever increasing 'instant' society. Instant meals, instant communication, instant access to information. Time was when one had a sense of achievement when scouring an encyclopedia for information on a topic which added to your educational prowess. Now you can simply type words into 'Google' and the answer is before your very eyes within seconds.

The art of letter writing seems to be a dying art too. Years ago, I used to correspond with a friend in Newcastle Upon Tyne by letter. Yes, dear reader, letter. We used to communicate regularly, not by e-mail or text but by taking the time and effort to sit down and write before taking our chances in the hope that Royal Mail would actually deliver it (which they did on occasion) And we both appreciated the effort each of us put in.

Cooking a decent, nutritious meal used to be a pleasure too. (well, apart from some of my culinary disasters although I do prepare a mean cheese sauce) Now, more and more people come home from their inevitably stress-filled day at work (who isn't stressed at work these days?) stick a frozen ready-made meal into the microwave oven and eat it slouched on the couch in front of the television watching inane commercial-riddled tosh on a wide screen. And what do they eventually do with their dirty plates? (assuming they've bothered to use plates and aren't eating direct from the package) Stick 'em in the dish washer.

The particularly alarming paragraph in the above BBC news story was regarding people not getting out of their chair to change television channels. Alarming, because I watched Scotland's footballers give a pitiful performance in Norway tonight in a World Cup qualifying tie. Well, I lasted until half-time by which time Scotland were two goals down and had a player sent off. At that I switched the television off and went and did something more interesting instead. Like watching paint dry.

However, I thought of those pour souls in Glasgow, stuck on the couch, forced to watch the whole ninety minutes - because the remote control was an agonising few feet away...

*the other 25% couldn't be bothered to answer...