We Need to Stop Accepting the Deadly Sins
By Mae Abbet
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I truly believe the downfall of western society is the lack of religion in our daily discourse. We have grown to accept the Seven Deadly Sins in our society because we are told if we dare criticize them that we are bigots or lack empathy. I think it is actually the opposite. When I point these things out to someone, it is because I want to help them. I am not saying my religion is better than others, but I’ve met religious people who, on average, are happier than people who don’t have one, and this solely has to do with the purpose and the lifestyle we choose to live. It is a direct reflection on whether or not we reject the Seven Deadly Sins or if we accept them.
Wrath
War, violence, riots, all of that have been so predominant in human history, especially in the past year. The anger that is filled in people and more of it being a result of the lockdowns and pandemic has only caused for relations to shatter among people. I know families that have been broken apart because their anger about politics or covid or anything else like that is too hard to control.
We had riots in the streets for how many months all across the United States, and in Portland, they are still occurring. We have governments oppressing their people and using violent forces to control them in Cuba, Venezuela, Australia, China, Iran, and earlier this year in Russia with the massive protest. Crime rates in cities are rising. Sexual and physical assaults, illegal gun violence, gang violence, trafficking, robbery, and so many other crimes are skyrocketing. Human trafficking and child abuse are at an all-time high crossing the southern US border and is running rampant in other countries internationally. Abortions or at an all-time high, and in Ice Land has aborted nearly every single baby who has Downs Syndrome and they are celebrating in, in Argentina we has women dancing and cheering in the street to be protected under the law to kill their babies.
We aren’t batting a single eye to any of this. We have become desensitized to these horrific events. We should never be in that state of mind but we are. We have become numb to the horrors of the world.
Envy
Envy has always been a temptation in humans. We see it back to the story of Adam and Eve when they wanted the same knowledge as God. We now want what we can’t have and what others have rather than counting our blessings. Yeah, there are people with bigger houses, better family relationships, nicer clothes, etcetera etcetera but you are alive, and breathing, and have a roof over your head, be happy about the things you have and acknowledge those blessings rather than being jealous of someone for having the newest iPhone.
Sloth
Sloth is very simple; people have become lazy, especially in the past year. People rather sit at home and do nothing than go out and live life or do something with themselves. The race to binge-watch Netflix shows and sleep for the longest has overtaken society, especially younger generations. We make fun of bombers for getting up so early in the morning but look at all the stuff they accomplish, even in retirement.
Don’t be lazy. Don’t sit around and watch life pass right before your eyes and let your body decay. I’m not saying to run a marathon every day but go for a walk in the fresh air or write that book you want to write or visit that country you want to. Don’t sit around and do nothing. Do something with your life. Don’t be on your deathbed wishing you hadn't been so lazy.
Greed
Greed has always been there for humans. But recently, this has been on the rise, similar to the rise of economic system worship. Even though they are opposites on the spectrum, socialism and capitalism have been on the steep and radical incline of worship and almost cult-like following for the past couple of years, especially in America.
The worship of economic systems is not the way to live your life. Both socialism and capitalism have their flaws. Everything does. No system is perfect. But between the socialist who scream to “eat the rice” because they don’t want to work and feel entitled to everything and the capitalist that are willing to put everything else on the backburning to make as much money as possible are both very unhealthy looks on life and economics.
The worship of systems that are created and operated by humans will only lead to disappointment because humans are flawed, and there is nothing we can do to change that.
Gluttony
Gluttony has been, in my opinion, the deadliest of the sin to have overtaken our society. We now live in a society where we encourage drinking and drugs, and overeating. Songs, movies, tv shows, and pop culture have glamorized drinking and drug usage. As a result, drug and alcohol addictions are rising and have in some places killed more people than covid has in the past year and a half. On college campuses, the administration turns a blind eye to drug use on campus, and because of that, it is encouraged for students to continue to push the boundaries.
We also are at a point in society where doctors are shunned by saying that a person is obese and needs to lose weight. There are people who are at unhealthy levels of obesity and are going to cause their own death and health issues if they do not lose weight, yet we are shunned if we point that out. We should not be praising obesity; it has led to heart disease, joint pains, diabetes, and so much more. The list goes on and on. Why aren’t we allowed to point out that this isn’t healthy for people?
I want people to live healthy and long lives. That doesn’t mean we all have to be a size zero because that is unrealistic, I’m not even a size zero. But to praise people who are going to put themselves in a healthy grave because of what they consume, whether that is junk food, drugs, or alcohol, should not be praised and encouraged, especially to the youth.
Lust
Where do I even begin with lust, but I will keep it short. Pornography, human trafficking, prostitution, and so many more have been on the rise and have destroyed the lives of so many people. Children and adults who are sex trafficked are used and abused every single day, and many times it is right under our noses, and we don’t see it. It runs rampant in the prostitution, strip, and porn industries, and we do nothing about it. Instead, we are trying to legalize it.
Prostitution exploits women and men all the time and teaches them that they are only worth the money that people put on their bodies. There is no love or respect for the person’s mind or heart or soul and, many times, even their body.
Pornography is one of the worst addictions to break free from. It affects people both mentally and physically and completely warps the perception of sex and our bodies. Pornography is not real sex, in essence, it is a movie. They are paid actors with lights, cameras, set designers, directors and so many other factors that are not what happens in normal sexual encounters. Men are becoming addicted to porn videos, and women have become the same attraction for smut in literature. All of it is highly fantasized and fiction. We forget that. Don’t let fiction dictate how you perceive and view sex or your bodies.
The line for what is appropriate is constantly moving farther back. I know Richard talked about this in one of his pieces, and he didn’t write about my topics, so I don’t want to overstep him, but the normalization of pedophilia in Hollywood and everyday life is alarming, and we are not doing anything to stop it. Children can not consent and they most certainly shouldn’t be taught about kinks and sex in elementary school. This is not right, and we can’t let lust corrupt the most innocent among us before it has to.
Pride
Pride is something I could talk about all day because it is said to be the worst and deadliest sin and I believe that to be true. I don’t want to go into all the details because I could do that for another twenty pages, I wrote my final paper in college theology class about so I really could go on another twenty or so pages just about this topic, but I won’t.
I’ll just leave you with this.
If you create your own god, whether it’s in your or someone else or something else, don’t be surprised when it’s only as strong as you are. That is why society is becoming weak, we have created new and weak gods to replace the one true God and now we are suffering the consequences of it.