Understanding the Path to the Adversary
You’ve probably heard it said—or told yourself—that procrastination is a sign of laziness. But what if it’s not? What if it’s something much deeper, more human, and more dangerous?
A viral quote puts it like this:
“Procrastination is not laziness. It is a trauma response.”
At first glance, that may sound dramatic. But modern psychology—and ancient wisdom—both affirm the same truth: avoidance often hides fear, and fear often hides trauma.
Trauma and the Freeze Response
Trauma doesn’t always look like panic or breakdown. Sometimes it looks like numbness. Stillness. Delay.
When our nervous system perceives danger, we might fight or flee—but we also might freeze. That’s where procrastination often lives. Not in comfort, but in a kind of paralysis. We avoid the task, not because we’re unmotivated, but because the task feels threatening. Failing might prove we’re unworthy. Succeeding might expose us to expectations we’re afraid to carry.
So we wait. And wait. And beat ourselves up for waiting.
Peterson: The Seed of the Adversary is Laziness
Jordan Peterson often frames this “laziness” in moral and spiritual terms. In Maps of Meaning, he explores how small acts of avoidance can evolve into resentment, and then into outright destruction.
The person who refuses responsibility becomes bitter. The bitter become vengeful. And eventually, the vengeful become adversaries—not just of others, but of Being itself.
So what begins as “laziness” is often a refusal to confront suffering. But beneath that refusal is usually pain—unprocessed, unresolved, and growing in the dark.
The Progression: From Trauma to the Adversary
Here’s how it unfolds:
- Trauma — A betrayal, a failure, or a moment of chaos shakes our sense of order.
- Fear — We begin to dread further pain, judgment, or exposure.
- Avoidance — Procrastination kicks in, disguised as laziness.
- Stagnation — Inaction compounds. Life doesn’t move. Self-contempt grows.
- Resentment — We start blaming ourselves, then others, then the world.
- Formation of the Adversary — We harden into a posture of defiance or decay, no longer seeking healing—only power, revenge, or numbness.
This is how the adversary is born: not in grand acts of evil, but in a thousand quiet refusals to face suffering with courage.
The Hero Responds Differently
The difference between the hero and the adversary is not that one suffers and the other doesn’t. They both suffer. The difference is what they choose to do with it.
- The adversary avoids, freezes, and resents.
- The hero confronts, moves forward, and transforms.
To break the cycle of procrastination, we must stop condemning ourselves as lazy and start asking deeper questions. Where does this fear come from? What pain am I avoiding? What burden am I afraid to lift?
Redeeming the Pattern
If procrastination is a trauma response, then the solution isn’t punishment—it’s healing.
That healing begins with:
- Understanding that your inaction may be protective, not passive.
- Compassion toward yourself as someone doing their best with past pain.
- Courage to take one small step into the unknown—despite fear.
You are not lazy. You are a soul that’s been wounded. But you don’t have to become the adversary. You can become the hero instead.
Developed with assistance from ChatGPT
Seized by Christ 