The 'seven deadly sins'

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 10:20 pm

Edit: Thread originally titled "Sloth"

As EC & the I's embark on the US leg of their year long tour and we sit posting about it, what have you got to impart on the subject of sloth? This will the first of a series on the seven deadly sins: Pride, Envy, Anger/Wrath, Sloth, Avarice/Greed, Gluttony & Lust, which will be launched in surprise order... pretty universal and inescapable themes so just let it all hang out. What disgusts or amuses you about sloth? Any special insights on how to overcome it, situations where you thought "what a sloth!", any songs or films relating to the subject of sloth, etc?...

I was reminded last week of one of my pet hates, and realized it was particularly symbolic of sloth... I had a dinner and an old friend eats without chewing his food properly... it was just woof, woof, woof and down the hatch it goes (could have been greed or gluttony but it was more indicative of laziness to me in this case). It was as if he was oblivious to the fact that the other guests (or anybody else) might have been observing this, speaking as he was while mashing the stuff down just enough to be able to swallow it. Most of it wouldn't have been digested properly, leading to low energy and further forms of sloth.... He's not a major slothball otherwise, though. In fact at times he's pretty driven. Later he earnestly told me how grateful he was for the dinner and how much he enjoyed it but that he had to excuse himself earlier because he was "dog tired"... I've tried before to impress upon him how offputting it is from the other end but to no avail.

SweetPear · Post by **SweetPear** » Sun Mar 06, 2005 4:40 pm

By definition, I'm pretty much a sloth. It doesn't disgust me as much as it distresses me. And what's funny is that i don't have a life that even remotely promotes slothfulness......a husband and four kids, two puppies, three cats, a pretty nice sized house w/a good sized yard as well and all the jobs, duties and obligations that go along with all of it. Maybe I'm just exhausted.
But I'm always tired and there's always dirty dishes and piles of laundry and papers and dog doo.......I can't keep up with it all!
I get tired and don't feel like doing anything.....like I can barely get dinner on the table.
Feeling this way depresses me and frustrates me incredibly and yet I'm having the hardest time motivating myself to wake up and I don't understand why! I've become very lazy and I don't seem to be able to do anything about it. I know it's totally mental but I seem to be lacking all ability to do anything to help myself. I'm feeling quite desperate.
Dear Abby, can you help me?

SweetPear · Post by **SweetPear** » Sun Mar 06, 2005 4:46 pm

I'm so embarassed.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sun Mar 06, 2005 6:26 pm

Don't be! These things have their place but are mainly just ephemera, as we've been discussing elsewhere, there are more important aspects to life. What is good is having enough time and energy to pursue the things you want to within reason (and as a dad of three I know how limiting that reason must be with four!). If you don't have the energy for that, it is worrying. It may sound corny (in that it's become such a glib modern response to everything), but if it is worrying you, I would see if diet has any bearing on this by having trials without gluten, dairy, caffeine, alcohol, sugar whatever. It may be entirely irrelevant, but a lot of people do seem to undergo a huge transformation when they cut some/all of these out. I cut them out a little last year, and while it didn't make a huge difference to my energy levels (which are pretty high, my problem tends to be not sleeping enough), I certainly felt well on it. Spoke to someone the other day who said he'd cut out caffeine and alcohol and has loads more energy now. And Bamboo is right about not chewing your food enough!

Sloth is grotesque when it seriously lets down those around you, but I think a certain level of chilling and not doing much at times is very valuable. It's the same with kids who are forced into after-school activities by their parents. They need a break and some time off. not being able to relax and not do much every once in a while is a depressing characteristic.

King Hoarse · Post by **King Hoarse** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 4:48 am

Sloth is a great Fairport Convention (Richard Thompson/Dave Swarbrick) epic first released on Full House. It's about the war of the sexes.) Most live versions of it are thrilling, not least the one recently remastered on House Full.

SweetPear · Post by **SweetPear** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 5:00 pm

To continue what you were saying, Otis.....I feel my problem is I DON'T want to let anyone down, even though I feel as if I am. Hence the pressure and the overflowing plate. It's true, we spread ourselves too thin and it starts to interfere with you actually 'living' and enjoying what you have.
You're quite right about the diet stuff. As a matter of fact, I've just made an appointment w/a nutritionist. I feel I need a little guidance, because quite frankly, I DON'T KNOW WTF TO EAT ANYMORE!!

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 7:52 pm

Don't get too wound up about it, just experiment a bit and see if it makes a difference.

clairequilty · Post by **clairequilty** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 12:54 am

Make sloth work to your advantage.

Beck's Mellow Gold was an homage to Sloth. It also became one of the memorable albums of the 90's.

Sloth is yer friend, just don't wallow in it (but then it wouldn't be sloth now, would it).

Hell I dunno. But I do know it's time to roll over and pick that zit on my back.

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 7:33 am

There's something in that. At the time when I felt the most slothful, at the tail end of tertiary study, it seems that I wasted the most energy resisting the luxury of loafing and experiencing its rejuvenating powers-- loafing is a most underrated activity. The apparent sloth had been more the product of trying too hard and feeling overwhelmed by impossible standards that were mostly self-imposed, more than anything else. Later when I graduated I remedied this by laying around a lot listening to a lot of Dylan et al and reading books more on my own terms which did a world of good.

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 7:21 am

I stole the idea about the seven deadly sins from a forum I came across but get the feeling that, despite the inspiring nature of the kick-starter, sloth, it would be too imposing to start another six threads here. Perhaps the subject matter is too broad. So, for whomever is interested, this is what they had to say about them there:

greed http://www.able2know.com/forums/about13240-0.html

lust http://www.able2know.com/forums/about13241-0.html

envy http://www.able2know.com/forums/about13 ... light=envy

gluttony http://www.able2know.com/forums/about13238-0.html

pride http://www.able2know.com/forums/about13235-0.html

wrath http://www.able2know.com/forums/about13239-0.html

sloth http://www.able2know.com/forums/about13236-0.html

SweetPear · Post by **SweetPear** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 1:15 pm

bambooneedle wrote:There's something in that. At the time when I felt the most slothful, at the tail end of tertiary study, it seems that I wasted the most energy resisting the luxury of loafing and experiencing its rejuvenating powers-- loafing is a most underrated activity. The apparent sloth had been more the product of trying too hard and feeling overwhelmed by impossible standards that were mostly self-imposed, more than anything else. Later when I graduated I remedied this by laying around a lot listening to a lot of Dylan et al and reading books more on my own terms which did a world of good.

Yes, Bamboo, you have put your finger on it exactly.....I do waste a lot of energy resisting the luxery of loafing and experiencing it's rejuvinating powers. I get all stressed about all the things I should be doing. My husband tells me this all the time. I get a lot of stress-related headaches.
I need a massage.

Poppet · Post by **Poppet** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 1:39 pm

i have a big personal problem w/ pride being a sin.

okay, we'll forget the part about me not believing in sin to begin with.

nevertheless, pride is useful and necessary. it's self esteem. nothing wrong w/ that.

yeah, some people over do it. but pride just by itself? NOT A BAD THING.

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 2:25 pm

Lust is also useful and necessary!

so lacklustre · Post by **so lacklustre** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 3:19 pm

Lust is also useful and necessary!

I'll second that emotion.

alexv · Post by **alexv** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 3:38 pm

At the risk of upsetting the more "judeochristially" (is that a word?) inclined on the Board, I have always believed that the whole seven deadly sins was something that respectfully dissenting individuals could overlook, at their own risks.

Sloth and gluttony are two perfect examples of "sins" which I have no problems with and which are remnants of a by-gone era when the authorities (fearful of much of what they could not then explain and desperate to control humans, 99% of whom they considered rabble) felt a need to keep a tight grip on the short hairs of humanity. Why is it wrong in the 21st century to be slothful? or to be gluttonous?

There may be personal consequences (health or otherwise) but so what, no one else is harmed. And even if by becoming obese to the point of death you end up costing your family or friends, well your behavior may have harmed others, but why was it a sin? Why the implication that your act has otherworldy consequences? If when you do your own personal averaging, you can accept the consequences, then be slothful and gluttonous, and those whom you have harmed will probably understand that it was just human weakness.

And how about anger? isn't that appropiate in certain circumstances. Can one never be angry? Anger, in many cases, is the only required emotion in order to ensure that good triumph over evil or whatever. Surely one has a right to anger.

Envy and pride (those glimmer twins) will have serious repercussions on your ability to deal with fellow humans, but think of how many great things have been accomplished by proud envious people, and how we all benefit from their madness (admittedly these very same traits can have disastrous consequences, but hey that's life).

And lust, well Miss BA said it all.

LittleFoole · Post by **LittleFoole** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 4:04 pm

I don't consider them "sins" at all, per se....just various aspects of the universal "human condition." Of course, what would y'all expect from this Unitarian Universalist ?

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 3:26 am

At the risk of upsetting the more "judeochristially" (is that a word?) inclined on the Board, I have always believed that the whole seven deadly sins was something that respectfully dissenting individuals could overlook, at their own risks.

It's obviously just an expression that someone made up. Sin is just a little word (that I'd only use ironically) that makes big assumptions. I just like the often comical and tragic nature of excessive indulgence in these, to see how it gets out of balance and how it comes about. I suppose all desire is based on one or more of the seven to some degree.