A Small Tirade: Sloth
Mar. 1st, 2003 12:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
truepennyOkay, this is truly the Nit-Pick of Doom. I know that and I apologize in advance. But.
There's a Seven Deadly Sins Quiz starting the rounds. I have no objection to it--think it's kind of clever, tho' not something I myself would ever bother with--except for this one thing that's driving me batshit.
The mortal sin of Sloth (as opposed to common usage of the word "sloth") has nothing to do with laziness, which is how the quiz questions treat it. Sloth is despair. Sloth is being so impressed by your own sinfulness that you think you are beyond God's grace. Sloth is embracing your own damnation. Sloth is giving up. Sloth is defeatism. The modern equivalent of Sloth is probably depression. It has nothing to do with being too lazy to haul your ass out of bed in the morning.
On a theological level, I don't care about this at all. But it riles my Inner Balrog to see words being misused, and the concept behind Sloth is a subtle and important one, which conflation with common usage trivializes. So I'm speaking up for Sloth.
(Also feeling this insane desire to read Piers Plowman again. Or The Faerie Queene. Thank goodness I already have plans for this afternoon. By this evening, I should be okay again.)
There's a Seven Deadly Sins Quiz starting the rounds. I have no objection to it--think it's kind of clever, tho' not something I myself would ever bother with--except for this one thing that's driving me batshit.
The mortal sin of Sloth (as opposed to common usage of the word "sloth") has nothing to do with laziness, which is how the quiz questions treat it. Sloth is despair. Sloth is being so impressed by your own sinfulness that you think you are beyond God's grace. Sloth is embracing your own damnation. Sloth is giving up. Sloth is defeatism. The modern equivalent of Sloth is probably depression. It has nothing to do with being too lazy to haul your ass out of bed in the morning.
On a theological level, I don't care about this at all. But it riles my Inner Balrog to see words being misused, and the concept behind Sloth is a subtle and important one, which conflation with common usage trivializes. So I'm speaking up for Sloth.
(Also feeling this insane desire to read Piers Plowman again. Or The Faerie Queene. Thank goodness I already have plans for this afternoon. By this evening, I should be okay again.)
