UNITED STATES—Genetics, it’s something that has far reaching impacts on one’s overall personality than one would like to think. However, when the child of a parent exhibits characteristics that are the exact opposite of the parents what accounts for that distinction. You might be wondering why I’m asking this question, it’s because I’m trying to pinpoint some of the behaviors of my younger brother.

At its core, I’m trying to find out why he seems ambivalent to the idea of working and having a job. Why? Both of my parents work and they are extremely hard workers, but for reasons I cannot fathom, my brother has never held a steady job for more than 8 months. At first one would attribute the issue to the fact that my brother doesn’t like to be held down at a job he doesn’t like, but I immediately threw that option out the window. Why? If he held a job long enough I’d be able to justify that as a potential excuse, but he hasn’t shown that.

Perhaps the biggest thing that struck me is that my brother doesn’t like the idea of a 9 to 5. And for the most part I started to see that as an acceptable excuse. Most people don’t like a job that is a 9 to 5 because it leaves little room for mobility in most people’s opinion. On top of that they tend to be jobs that are very structured and don’t allow variety for one to be creative and expand their horizons. However, once again, he hasn’t really held a 9 to 5 long enough for me to justify that assertion either.

So what’s the excuse? At this point I simply think my brother is lazy. The idea of work, the idea of having to do something that he doesn’t want to do, just is not in his DNA. He doesn’t believe he has to have a steady job and he likes to utilize odd jobs as a source of income. The problem with performing odd jobs as a source of income is they can be unreliable at times, making it extremely difficult for one to pay the bills and provide for the family. That is the good thing about having a solid job, even a 9 to 5 in most situations is they provide some sort of stability in regards to a steady paycheck.

This brings me back to the issue of laziness. Is there an actual gene out there where this is explainable? I simply do not understand the logic of people, who get a joy out of doing absolutely nothing and they don’t work. It’s like what do you do all day if you’re not focused on making money, providing for your family, keeping a roof over one’s head or delivering some sort of purpose in the world? I hate to say it, but it’s one of my biggest pet peeves ever; I have a major disdain for lazy people. There is no reason to be so lazy if you don’t work, and even those who do work full-time jobs, some work a part-time job in addition, still find the time to complete tasks and take care of responsibilities that have to be completed.

I don’t like going back to this place, but it seems to happen over and over again: is it a generational gap. I mean is there such a big difference between the Baby Boomers Generation and the Millennials? I’d like to believe most millennials love the notion of work, at least I know I do, but there quite a few who I’ve witnessed (those born in the 90s) that seem to think they are entitled to things, don’t have to work and can have whatever they want without actually having to do much for it. I do believe this is a direct result of one’s upbringing. Parents need to stop being so nice and cordial and put their damn foot down when their child misbehaves. Why? If you continually allow your child to get away with something, it becomes part of their behavioral characteristics. If they were never forced to perform chores growing up, it becomes difficult to teach them they have to complete them as they become teens.

It goes with the notion of responsibility, I f it’s not taught, you can’t expect one to pick it up to the degree where it’s second nature for most Americans. I mean my other younger brother wants people to cry a river every time he has to pay his car insurance or car note. WELCOME TO LIFE BUDDY! You’re not the only person who is broke, we all are. That’s why it’s called a job! You have to pay bills if you want basic essentials in life; nothing is free.

So this brings me to the question I’m trying to find a solution to. How do we change this pattern of laziness in children, teens and young adults, who are having difficulty understanding laziness is not an acceptable trait one should be proud of? Is it too little too late, is there a way to change the trend? I’m a firm believer there is always a way to fix a problem, but America please tell me, what good comes out of person being so lazy to the core they shrug their shoulders when they hear the word from others?