Sloth is difficult to write about as it’s an outlier of the sins. Most are defined around pervasive or corrupt versions of love for something or someone, or around excess. Sloth is a peculiar sin, one easy to create a particular story around. I did.
It was junior year of college at Virginia Tech and my girlfriends and I decided to dress up at the Seven Deadly Sins. My straw was sloth. I was so disappointed. I was a robot who made everything work, who did everything. I didn’t want to dress as the sin that embodied slow, lazy, and lethargic. I put on a teddy, carried around a pillow, and explained my costume repeatedly that night.
There’s a reason it resonated with me so poorly. I had become trapped in the loop of productivity, the need to be doing. I worked multiple jobs, devoted time to friendships and relationships, and joined social clubs while staying on top of my academics. Growing up, I didn’t often see my parents sit still. Being awake was a time to do, to complete, and to achieve. I got good at keeping multiple balls on fire in the air.
It’s served me well in many ways. However, I’ve also learned to ignore what my body craves and needs, relaxation and stillness. I try to sit still on the couch and I will get up and walk around the room. My inner dialogue yells, “But there’s so much you could be doing right now. I open a to-do list. You’re wasting time. Don’t be lazy.” My heart would beg for sleep, for me to stop. I can not slow down. I cannot be “lazy.” The shame and disappointment around it is too much.
What Really is the Sin of Sloth?
In Christianity, Sloth is about a person not wanting to work, because of their lack of motivation. The person will be physically inactive and neglect what God has asked of them. It becomes a sin when it slows down or halts the energy we must expend in using the means to salvation.
In Dante’s Inferno, it was defined as the failure to love God with all one’s heart, all one’s mind, and all one’s soul. It was an absence or insufficiency of love. This dissonance from intention and love was said to lead to suicide.
While other sins are about committing immorality, sloth is the act of omitting. It can also be defined as a lack of feeling for people, including oneself. It can be defined as a disconnection of the mind from what’s important. There’s many schools of thought that point to excess of stagnant time results in sinful behaviors. Today, dozens of centuries past the creation of this notion, Elise Hoenen describes sloth as a kind of indifference or apathy to things that matter such as personal growth, relationships, or moral responsibility; a neglection of one’s potential and failing to live authentically or with meaning.
How to Harness Sloth
Sloth may not feel like something we want to embrace, but it’s something our bodies and minds need. We are constantly stimulated with gateways to keep us informed and connected. This easy global access hasn’t existed for the majority of human history. This results in information overload, distractions, and changes in social dynamics.
It’s important we allow ourselves a reprieve from the surplus of intake to rest and to be. If we don’t allow ourselves rest and breaks, when we indefinitely hit the snooze button, our energy levels will plummet. We won’t be able to show up how we like; to fulfill our purpose; to grow.
Say no; take the night off; take a week off; indulge in slowness and rest, with a time limit.
Opportunity for Transformation
Answer the question - what is your purpose in life? Do you have an answer? If you do, are you living a purposeful existence to achieve that life? If no, think about the things that matter to you, what gives you energy, and where you find a flow state.
When these feel out of reach, how can you exercise mindfulness to be present? Meditate to reground and recenter? What goals can you set for yourself over the next week or month to not remain stagnant? What do you want or need to lead a vibrant existence?
How can you give yourself what you need, to rest and relax, so you can show up without procrastinating on the things that matter? How can you balance the achiever without falling into overly content or filling your time with people or things that chip away at the core of your authentic being?
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