It's entirely possible this was site generated if someone looked at your profile or even just hovered over it. If it's a paying site-it could also be all he was able to send-a canned messgae.

I have a burning desire to discover and understand the lady who reads, writes and hikes.
What are your thoughts on life, love and the beautiful little planet on which we live. I wish to come to know these things. And who are you now, the person you have been, your life journey, victories, defeats, hopes, fears, likes and dislikes.
Prey enlighten me with your thoughts, the contents of your mind, what you wish for. Let us stay up together late into the day exchanging ideas as if we were laying in bed together talking for real and gazing into each other's eyes, until we can stand no more, and fall asleep. But do not tell me you like Trump, for I could never countenance that and would break my heart's hopes.
Mr Perfect xxx

Is that what you're after? If so, cut and paste using it as a slapdown example. It took me but a few minutes to weave these words.
If we were 'word dating', then this is what you'd get from me. I'm like that in real life too.
Mr Unperfect

Yeah, c'mon guys make a bit of an effort ffs, this is literatehiker.
Tease with your academic acumen and professional prowess.
Perchance some Yeats:

As my arms rapt you round I pressed
My heart upon the loveliness

That sort of stuff ok.

Then surprise her with your adroitness: mention your bilateral symmetry and bipedal perambulation.

As Paddy said, they're meant to be for people who are awkward at writing, to help them come up with a quick introduction. But I always felt that they were more of a starting point and one was meant to personalize them. That's what I did until I found my "voice", as it were.

Some people have trouble starting a conversation. I'm one of them and I'm terrible at it, absolutely dreadful, forinstance. When I was using dating sites I used a lot of those ice breakers, not ashamed to admit it. That's why they were made for. In the least, it's my two cents on this, if any use.

Dating sites are a great source of income for those who own them and their is little or no accountability. The proverbial Jane or John Doe make up a user-name and enjoy a certain degree of anonymity. Those who write a very brief profile of themselves are usually not worth contacting.

As in any new relationship there are often unstated and sometimes unrealistic expectations which may surface on a first meeting. Both men and women lie and do not always post a recent photo and some even post a photo that was taken ten or more years ago.

There is a lot of sifting to be done to find one whose actions accord with his or her word. Nobody will ever meet all of our expectations and if you find someone who meets the 50% mark then you are doing well.

When I tried that route back in the 90s, Internet dating sites I am speaking about, I found that I had to realize that other people were not as good as I was at writing my feelings down. Sometimes it takes a little back-and-forth before you finally see the real person you are conversing with. I would say give it a little more time. You’re a smart and sharp woman and some guys are too, you just need to give them a little time.

You deserve better

Most men don’t have the amount of activity that women have on dating sites. They get tired of getting zero responses and probably give up trying to be clever or unique.

So, yes, they may be lazy. Or they may just be tired of putting in the effort for no results. I personally wouldn’t automatically discount someone for a canned initial message. It’s how they interact after I respond that matters.

Agreed. Laziness is nearly always a sign of a weak mind, and if he was really interested, he'd read your profile and craft a thoughtful response. I get a kick out of it when the occasional scammer on this site will reach out to me with a message like "hello handsome." I block them immediately. As to a too-short message, I send a polite reply but move on.

@Cyklone may have a point. If I was in the dating game, which I am not, one thing that I have learned from this site is that there is a multitude of opportunities to learn a lot about any other member, and I would certainly use that opportunity to learn about somebody else. I am also extremely comfortable with sites such as this.

Patience is essential, and some people may lack that personal quality.

I don't think it is necessarily about laziness. I think that many people are likely to choose those options because they're shy or unused to online dating and not sure about what to say. Having said that, I've cancelled my profiles because I got fed up with the whole process.