Every person is a “collection” of different values, features, and habits. However, some character traits always prevail. It is natural that people do not notice their vices and virtues. Actually, it can be not very pleasant to hear about personal lacks from other people. But if it is done with tact, or with humor, it is a great possibility to see yourself with new eyes and “fix” something in a personal character.
Suzanne Britt’s Neat People vs. Sloppy People provides such an opportunity comparing neat and sloppy people. In this paper, we will try to compare active and lazy people following the example by Suzanne Britt.
Suzanne Britt’s work Neat People vs. Sloppy People is a comparing and contrasting writing which provides the distinctions between neat and sloppy people based on moral aspects. At the very beginning, she states the main difference between these people which is further developed in several paragraphs. The author claims, “I’ve finally figured out the difference between neat people and sloppy people. The distinction is, as always, moral.” (Britt 182).
Further, she describes people using subject-by-subject examples. She characterizes people according to the moral qualities and not the aspect of clearness. Thus, she describes sloppy people according to two criteria: rectitude, métier and neat people are characterized as cavalier. In each pattern, the author makes her statement and backs it up with specific examples to support her argument.
However, the criteria of neatness and sloppiness are not the only ones that can distinguish people into two groups, but “everyone can be loosely classified into 4 groups, which are permutations of either activeness or laziness, and intelligence or stupidity” (Meyer n. p.). We shall focus on active and lazy people.
These two types of people differ in their lifestyles, hobbies and everyday activities. But there is still something in common between the two according to these categories. Both types have specific goals in life and act quickly and efficiently when the situation require.
For example, if there are some problems with job, it does not matter whether a person is lazy or active, he/she will still work hard to put things in order. Furthermore, both lazy and active people can have hobbies, and have the same everyday activities, such us, going to the shop, cleaning-up or making dinner. Thus, we cannot say that lazy people are couch potatoes and active ones are heroes, as everyone has responsibilities.
The difference lies in the fact that lazy and active people have different attitudes to less important things, such as waking up early on weekends, for example. Active people are fussy in fact. For example, they perform much more activities during the day, such as going to different shops, when it is possible to by everything in one supermarket.
Furthermore, their lifestyle is fast, they try to cope up with many things at ones that can have bad results actually. Finally, hobbies of lazy and active people are considered to be different as lazy one will choose something calm, and active person needs do something with the energy and probably choose something active. Thus, the lifestyles, hobbies and activities of lazy and active people will be different and adjusted to their habits and preferences.
So, people differ in their habits and views on life which influence their lifestyles and behavior. When one know his/her virtues and vices, it is easy to change something in life for better.
Works Cited
Britt, S. “Neat People vs. Sloppy People.” The Simon and Schuster Short Prose Reader. Ed. Robert W. Funk, et al. Pearson Education Canada, 2011.
Meyer, Jeremy. Why It’s Better to Be Lazy. Armita Developer. Jun. 2008. Web.