Let’s Talk Sin (part one)

Just for kicks, and following a discussion I had with a close friend, which quickly turned into a three hour conversation, I thought it would be interesting to research the capital vices individually with the goal of obtaining a deeper understanding of the collective. I am sure that most of you will recognize the list: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. Yes, you got it…the seven deadly sins. Apparently, it is the belief that a persons’ inclination toward evil misdeeds can be traced back to one or more of these cardinal sins. Heading up the list is pride which is thought to be the “very essence of all evil.” Of all the vices, this one gave me pause. While I certainly understand that to have an over-inflated sense of self-worth…to irrationally hold your personal values, status or accomplishments to be of greater importance than that of any other person…is, well, kind of disgusting, feeling proud to be a part of something bigger than yourself or pride in the accomplishments of others doesn’t seem sinful. However, “pride” can be a very complex emotion. For example, you may be confusing pride with happiness and joy. Think about it. Are you happy for the achievements of your children and friends? Do you feel their joy? Do you wish to celebrate in their successes? Or, do you actually feel pride in that you, personally, had something to do with the fulfillment of their success such that your ego joins the celebration. Once the ego enters into the fray, you could find yourself on a slippery slope leading straight into corruption. Wow, that’s a lot to think about. In fact, my son very recently shared some good news with me concerning his job performance. And, while I am very proud of him, I had to stop and ask myself: what did you have to do with his work performance? This is about HIM, NOT YOU. Of course, when raising him, I encouraged a strong work ethic, honesty, and integrity but he put in the hard work. I did not get up at 6 a.m. every morning to get the job done. He did. So I decided to keep the chest pumping in check and extend sincerest congratulations for a job well done because I would much rather share in his happiness than strut around like a proud peacock celebrating HIS achievements as if they were my own. Not a bad result for day one of research.