PROCRASTINATION

I've often wondered about the word 'procrastination' I wondered if there is an 'anti-crastination'. After all, if you are 'pro' something, you should be able to be 'anti' the same thing. The dictionary lists suggestions for words when it can't find the one it believes you don't know how to spell. The first suggestion it gave, since there doesn't seem to be a singular 'crastination', was constipation. I thought that was very rational of Merriam-Webster. The fourth suggestion boggled me a bit...it was Christianization. Even though I realized that it was a computer making this selection, it set me to thinking through what happens to people who rely on religion to solve everything. I am impressed that the computer picked Christianization and actually brought up a good point.

While not all religious people believe that God will take care of everything for them with no effort on their part, there are too many, in my opinion, who take no responsibility for their own actions and just turn over decisions and outcomes to 'God's Will'. Nowhere was this more evident than in Greece 30 or more years ago while the country was predominantly Greek Orthodox with relatively few other religions standing out Only people around the major cities and academic institutions had computers, and TV was primarily featuring old American sit-coms. The Junta was running the country with an iron hand. A sister college in the US collected monies and gave them to Anatolia College in Greece, to help the farmers by buying them farm equipment. They were given tractors and other major mechanical tools for preparing the ground, tilling, planting, and harvesting. A few years later, when visited by their benefactors, they saw was the machinery rusting and unused. Inquiries revealed that there had been no maintenance to speak of, no oiling, or repairs. When asked why equipment was not working, the response was it is in God's hands, ( reported by a professor friend of mine in personal communication)

You are not born a procrastinator. It is a way of life determined by many factors. Deadlines, growing children, and pay checks to keep the household working were elements to prohibit my being a procrastinator some years ago. Some behavioral techniques are also helpful. I say to myself, "If you write this difficult letter, you can then reward yourself by playing a song on the piano." Or, "Get this noxious task over and you can spend some time reading the funny stuff in your email." I can hear my father's voice, clearly in my head, though I have not heard him in life for over 20 years, saying, "Never leave until tomorrow what you can get done today!" My priorities are clearly different than his were and there are many more distractions in my world than there were in his. Maybe I'll finish this tomorrow............