The Seven Deadly Sins

It's the seventh of September today.

Time to baato some gyaan.

Do you know about the Seven Sins? I'd heard about them, but I wasn't quite sure what they were, or what their significance was. So, you know what I did - I checked them out. On my pet site – Wikipedia.

The Seven Deadly Sins (also known as the Capital Vices or Cardinal Sins) - a classification of the most objectionable vices - used since early Christian times to educate and instruct followers concerning (immoral) fallen man's tendency to sin.

The sins are Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride. The acronym SALIGIA captures their first letters in Latin: superbia (pride), avaritia (greed), luxuria (extravagance/lust), invidia (envy), gula (gluttony), ira (wrath), and acedia (sloth).

Dante Alighieri (the famous poet) spoke about the sins in his epic poem The Divine Comedy, and here I shall present to you some info about the same.

Lust – We all know what lechery is… Excessive thoughts or desires of a sexual nature. Of course, Dante's criterion was excessive love of others, which therefore rendered love and devotion to God as secondary. Giving in to lusts can lead to sexual or sociological compulsions and/or transgressions including (but not limited to) sexual addiction, fornication, adultery, rape, perversion, and incest.

Gluttony - The over-indulgence and over-consumption of anything. In the Christian religions, it is considered a sin because of the excessive desire for food, which means it is withheld from the needy. However, depending on the culture, it can be seen as either a vice or a sign of status.

Saint Thomas Aquinas, an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism (popularly known as Doctor Angelicus / Doctor Communis), went so far as to prepare a list of six ways to commit gluttony:
• Praepropere - eating too soon.
• Laute - eating too expensively.
• Nimis - eating too much.
• Ardenter - eating too eagerly.
• Studiose - eating too daintily.
• Forente - eating wildly.

Greed - also known as avarice/covetousness is a sin of excess just like lust and gluttony. As seen by the Church, greed is applied to materialism, or the acquisition of wealth in particular. Disloyalty, betrayal, bribery, scavenging and hoarding of objects, theft, trickery, or manipulation of authority are all actions that may be inspired by greed.

Sloth – This was believed to be the failure to utilize one's talents and gifts. The modern view goes further, regarding laziness and indifference as the sin at the heart of the matter. Sloth is regarded as a lesser sin as it is more about NOT doing something (omission) than actually doing wrong (commission).

Wrath - Also known as rage; it may be described as inordinate and uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger. These feelings can manifest as vehement denial of the truth, impatience, the desire to seek revenge by harming self or others. Thus, suicide was deemed as the ultimate, albeit tragic, expression of wrath directed inwardly, a final rejection of God's gifts.

The next sin, Envy is similar to greed, yet different. Envy is aroused when another person has some quality or possession that one would like to have. Those who commit the sin of envy resent that another individual has something they perceive themselves as lacking, and they wish the other person to be deprived of it.

Pride (hubris) is considered the original and most serious of the seven deadly sins, and the ultimate source from which the rest arise. It is the desire to be more important or attractive than others, failing to acknowledge the good work of others, and excessive love of self.

Now this is interesting - The Roman Catholic Church also recognizes Seven Virtues which correspond inversely to each of the seven deadly sins...

Vice Virtue
Lust - Chastity
Gluttony - Temperance
Greed - Charity
Sloth - Diligence
Wrath - Patience
Envy - Kindness
Pride - Humility

Some consider Justice as an eighth virtue... But I guess that's enough info download for the day :-)

By the way, do you remember I told you about how the Pandavas set out to reach Heaven in their mortal bodies and they all (except Yudi) failed? Coincidentally, 3 of the 5 Pandavas failed due to their pride, while Bheema and Draupadi were unsuccessful because they loved something/someone else more than God in their lifetime...

Amazing how the stories, philosophies and mythology connect!

My greatest sin? I'd say Pride... I got too much of an ego and I'm damn sure about every single thing I do... Some call it intelligent confidence and appreciate it :-D

Discover yourself!

-Princess