7 Deadly Sins: Sloth

After yesterday's post it is only fitting enough that we continue the 7 Deadly Sins series and have a close look at the sin of Sloth.

When I started this series, and did that little test/quiz it showed me that my most prominent sin was that of Lust. I guess, if we're going to be totally honest, that Lust is what is on my mind more than anything - and let's face it: The questiones asked on that quiz wanted to know what is on my mind. Which is probably why I don't score high on Sloth.

I mean... who's going to choose the option "lie around doing nothing on a couch" over "have kinky sex with a beautiful woman". It is quite easy to direct people in a certain direction...

Sloth, however, may actually be the sin that I indulge the most in. Especially of late, as you learned from yesterday's little post.

Anyway. Before we get too deep into the thoughts on Sloth, lets grab that quote from wikipedia as has become customary in this little series... it gives me a good reference to look at while I write.

More than other sins, the definition of sloth has changed considerably since its original inclusion among the seven deadly sins. In fact it was first called the sin of sadness. It had been in the early years of Christianity characterized by what modern writers would now describe as melancholy: apathy, depression, and joylessness — the last being viewed as being a refusal to enjoy the goodness of God and the world He created. Originally, its place was fulfilled by two other aspects, Acedia and Sadness. The former described a spiritual apathy that affected the faithful by discouraging them from their religious work. Sadness (tristitia in Latin) described a feeling of dissatisfaction or discontent, which caused unhappiness with one's current situation. When St. Thomas Aquinas selected Acedia for his list, he described it as an "uneasiness of the mind," being a progenitor for lesser sins such as restlessness and instability. Dante refined this definition further, describing Sloth as being the "failure to love God with all one's heart, all one's mind and all one's soul." He also described it as the middle sin, and as such was the only sin characterised by an absence or insufficiency of love. In his Purgatorio, the slothful penitents were made to run continuously at top speed.

The modern view of the vice, as highlighted by its contrary virtue zeal/diligence, is that it represents the failure to utilize one's talents and gifts. For example, a student who does not work beyond what is required (and thus fails to achieve his or her full potential) could be labeled 'slothful'.

Current interpretations are therefore much less stringent and comprehensive than they were in medieval times, and portray Sloth as being more simply a sin of laziness or indifference, of an unwillingness to act, an unwillingness to care (rather than a failure to love God and His works). For this reason Sloth is now often seen as being considerably less serious than the other sins, more a sin of omission than of commission. The South American animal was named after this sin by Roman Catholic explorers.

Oooh... that's a bit of a longer paragraph than the others got. So, lets get right to it!

It was first called the sin of sadness: You know. I think the vast majority of us when we hear about Sloth, we think of laziness... of not doing anything and basically just wasting time. We picture a dude with an enormous beer belly, sporting a torn and dirty old white t-shirt, and a can of beer in one hand. His other hand reaching under his equally dirty boxers scratching his balls while watching some uninspiring talk show host interviewing sex-crazed teens. I had never even heard of Sloth as Sadness before... but reading it makes perfect sense to me. I don't think anyone can reach the stage I just described without experiencing a great deal of sadness. In essence... is Sloth not just the end result of great Sadness?

Refusal to enjoy the goodness of God and the world He created: Refusal is a very strong word... inability is more the case for most people who indulge in Sloth, I would imagine. And, I am not writing about these sins with a religious view, so we'll just basically consider the world He created, as the world around us. This would then pretty much sum up my take on the meaning of Sloth. And, am I guilty? Indeed I am... to a certain extent of course. There are a lot of things that I dream of doing, that I want to do, and quite a few that I actually need to do, but yet I find myself incapable of doing just that. I find myself sitting around doing nothing because it is so much easier that way... Yeah, I know - I need to change this pattern. This is not something that I frequently do, though... or at least not always. I just seem to go through periods of doing basically nothing (of importance).

A feeling of dissatisfaction or discontent, which caused unhappiness with one's current situation: Jackpot! Well, I guess this is pretty much hitting the nail on the head when describing my situation. I am not satisfied with what I have accomplished in many aspects of life, and I do feel that I could achieve so much more. One of the major reasons I haven't been able to reach my potential, is based on circumstance beyond my control. If I am to go all therapeutic on myself, I will tell myself that circumstance is just what I choose to blame this upon...

The slothful penitents were made to run continuously at top speed: Sounds like I've lately been planning to punish myself then. You know, I have thought of going out running for a stretch every morning, to start off the day. Ok - let's be honest... this running will be done at a moderate jogging speed - surely not at top speed. I'd be too lazy for that!

Represents the failure to utilize one's talents and gifts: Exactly! Again! Damn, I'm learning a thing or two as I work my way through this little sin. At least, this is how I feel - if I am right or wrong, well, that's for others to decide. But, I do feel that my talents lie in the creative business. I write, I've made movies, I've acted and I've played around with designing computer games. Plain and simple... I love to create. Yet, I don't do it. Not to the fullest anyway. I've got hundreds of stories that I started to write - only a couple of them have reached a first draft stage... still waiting for me to go through them and re-write them. Anyone who thinks that re-writing isn't necessary needs to learn a few things about writing. No one will ever write anything perfectly at first. There are always things that require improvement. Yes - require! Not just... "could use" improvement. I just have a major problem finishing things off... I always come up with some new idea that I can't wait to get started on, and so a lot of half finished (or just started) projects get left behind.

A student who does not work beyond what is required: This is getting uncanny. Yes, I was that student. Teachers would always tell me (and sometimes my mom, in hopes she could turn me around) that I have so much potential, if only I would study more. Truth be told - I went through my entire high school and college years without doing a single homework assignment, and still managed to graduate with average grades (well, I had average grades before I was kicked out of college, anyway). Hey! I had other things to do in my spare time than to sit with my face down in school books.

Sloth is now often seen as being considerably less serious than the other sins: I know this refers to what is important "in the eyes of the Lord", but I would say that this is definitely one of the most serious sins in our personal lives. I mean, most other sins deal with enjoyment or pleasure of some sort - while Sloth really hurts our very own well being. In that respect - Sloth should possibly be considered the worst of all the 7 Deadly Sins.

The South American animal was named after this sin by Roman Catholic explorers: And isn't it one of the funniest looking animals you ever saw?


Well, that concludes my look into Sloth as a sin. But, I will leave you with another song on my playlist which I feel represents Sloth well. And, I do recommend you give this one a listen even if you don't usually listen to the songs I put up there. This is one of the best songs ever recorded in my opinion - a magnificent power ballad by Skid Row called "Wasted Time". I would sure like to be able to sing with the kind of power that Sebastian Bach shows off in this song. Right at the end there, when he starts singing "I never thought you'd let it get this far, boy"... that stuff just reaches in and pulls your heart right out of your chest, leaving a massive chest cavity in which the sound goes right to the core of your spine. Seriously - this is one good tune!