SLOTH
Sin: I think we can all benefit from thinking about sin, even if we don't believe in a supreme being, even if we don't accept notions of divine punishment, of heaven and hell. The concept of sin is usually thought to be a religious concept, the deliberate violation of the will of God. I want to think of sin without religious references, with regard to a broader definition. I want to examine sin in the sense of personal failure, of the harm we can do to ourselves. In this sense, sin will still include violation of rules but not necessarily rules imposed by religion. I want to examine sin as violation of rules of good conduct, violation of rules which are designed to make our lives better. Of course sin will often include harm to others but I urge that the harm we do to others by our conduct is usually exceeded by the harm we do to ourselves.
I recently revisited some books about the seven deadly sins, especially Henry Fairlie's The Seven Deadly Sins Today. We all know the seven deadly sins: If not religious, we know the popular songs or pop groups referring to the deadly sins. The seven deadly sins are pride, avarice, luxury, envy, appetite, anger and sloth. The list of seven deadly sins is a good list of things to avoid if we want to be happier and lead better lives. We don't need to be religious to see the value in not hurting ourselves and others. So I've decided occasionally to write about these sins and also, in contrast, about the classic virtues of wisdom, courage, temperance, justice, faith, hope and love.
The traditional definition of sloth is an aversion to religious exercises, the joyless discharge of duty. My dictionary tells me that sloth includes laziness, a disposition to avoid exertion, indolence. Sloth is the opposite of enthusiasm, the opposite of enjoyable activity. Sloth can include inactivity but inactivity is not necessary slothful; inactivity which is slothful arises from disinterest, an inability to enjoy. Needed rest is not slothful.
Sloth is also related to the sin of pride: An excessive self-love leads to disinterest in activity, in exertion, in willingness to help others. The feeling that we are entirely self-sufficient reduces the desire for activity, produces a smug self-satisfaction, leads to an inert complacency. I've always argued in favor of individual responsibility but responsibility for oneself should not exclude active efforts to help others.
My notion that enthusiasm helps oneself and others is closely related to avoiding the sin of sloth. The grudging performance of perceived duty, the angry discharge of responsibility, the passive acceptance of things as they are are all part of the sin of sloth. If we can enthusiastically pursue whatever activity we're in, we'll be happier and others will be happier to be with us.
Perhaps sloth can be eliminated by finding purpose: If we have some purposeful activity to pursue, we will pursue it enthusiastically. With enthusiasm, we will enjoy and others will benefit. If the willingness and ability to enjoy avoids a sin, who among us wants to be sinful.
6-12-00
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