Glenn Stewart Coles, 9251 Yonge Street, Suite 8-924, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, L4C 9T3
Text Box: Through books, movies, and religious training, many of us have been warned about committing the seven deadly sins. The sins are: pride, envy, anger, sloth, avarice, gluttony, and lust. Should you commit these sins, the penalties are harsh. Sinners can expect to be dismembered alive, dropped into cauldrons of boiling oil, forced to eat rats, or smothered in fire and brimstone. Sounds pretty horrible, doesn’t it? Let us look at each of these sins in more detail. Pride is the excessive belief in one’s own abilities. I am guilty of this sin, as I take pride in all that I do. I believe that through my choices and actions, I direct my own future and experiences. I trust in God and the power of the universe, but I refuse to discard all responsibility for my life. Do we really want to teach our children to not take pride in themselves? Envy is the desire for another’s traits, status, abilities, or situation. Doesn’t this drive us all? While jealousy can result in harmful feelings, I choose to envy those things that I wish to attain for myself. Enjoying the success of others, I create role models whom I emulate. Is there anyone who is not envious of Tom Cruise, or Bill Gates, or Hugh Hefner? How can we aspire for growth and progress without desiring success similar to others? We have all experienced Anger, and dwelling on issues can hold us back from contentment. However, anger can also be the fuel that initiates change. If people always accept things as they are, we cannot progress as a species. Anger changes laws, topples dictatorships, imprisons those who abuse the weak, and forces large organizations to act responsibly. While anger has caused much pain and sorrow, it has also created much of the positive change in humanity. Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work. Though one who doesn’t produce or create cannot expect the rewards achieved by others, is it really serious enough to be thrown into a snake pit for eternity? Who decides which work is acceptable? Let us look at it this way; if you or I sit on our butt all day, we are called lazy. If a monk sits on his butt all day, it is okay because it is spiritual work. Is it really necessary for us to work 60, 70 or 80 hours a week? Perhaps we would be wiser to lead a life with a little more balance. Avarice, also known as greed, is the excessive desire for wealth. Apparently, it is more holy to live in poverty. I do believe that greed can be taken to excess, by overlooking the well-being of others in order to achieve personal gain. I also believe that the universe is truly abundant, and that there is more than enough for everyone to live comfortably. The desire for more is often the driving force behind creativity, effort, production, and work. Without a hint of avarice, we may all choose sloth. Gluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than we require. Is there anyone who has not had a second helping when they were already full, or who has not had a little too much to drink? The existence of buffets in our society directly panders to the human tendency of eating more food than necessary. While gluttony may affect our health, it hardly seems worthy of eternal torment. Lust is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body. Apparently, it is not alright to feel all right. To desire sex, to enjoy a backrub, to lavish in a hot bath or to sleep on a comfortable mattress are all sins of pleasure. To lead a virtuous life, we are to deny ourselves anything that feels good, especially sex. While procreation is a necessity, sexual intimacy should never be initiated for love and joy. What hogwash. I agree that excessive focus on any of the listed sins could lead to personal difficulty. Too much of anything pushes us out of balance, particularly when we allow our desires to overcome our values and compassion. However, it seems to me that there is a hidden agenda to the seven sins. Though the implied intention is to prevent an eternity of pain and damnation, the result is control of the pious believer. What are the hidden messages behind the seven sins? Believe that your personal choices are unimportant, do not desire what others have, don’t get angry about unfairness, work hard but don’t expect a lot of money, don’t consume too much, and don’t expect to feel good. Only contrived fear could make people actually follow these rules. Before any believers get upset with what I have said, my main point is that there is always more than one way to look at any topic. In the meantime, enjoy your sins; they just may be good for you. © Copyright Glenn Stewart Coles, 2003

 

Do we really want to teach our children not to take pride in themselves?

 

While gluttony may affect our health, it hardly seems worthy of eternal torment.

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Seven Sins