Pride, Greed, Wrath, Envy, Lust, Gluttony, and Sloth

Are We All Sinners?

Four of the nine levels of hell from Dante's Inferno. Dante omits Sloth and Envy, and adds Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery. (Limbo—the home for us heathens—is the first circle.) Source: Art Institute of Chicago

Yes.

The title comprises the Seven Deadly Sins of Catholic philosophy. Did you know there are Seven Heavenly Virtues too? They are the opposite of the deadly sins: Humility, Charity, Patience, Kindness, Chastity, Temperance, and Diligence.

Interestingly, only the sins have made their way into popular culture. What does that say about Americans? Maybe that we notice and judge the bad more than we notice and foster the good? (Or is that human nature? Humans are born to be problem solvers; when something is fine, it’s not noticed as much. Which is why cleaning is such a thankless job; it’s “you missed a spot,” not “almost perfect.”)

Of all of the sins, I think Pride may be the one that is the most problematic. (Note: it's good to be proud of yourself when you do good things—this would be more accurately called Hubris or Arrogance, a kind of pride that leads you to put yourself over other people, or even gods.)

So many other sins stem from Pride. Just ask Arachne what happened to her when she boasted her weaving was better than the Goddess Athena's, who was the divine patron of weaving. (If you're an arachnophobe, this is too easy a question.)

Here is how Pride can lead to all the other sins:

Lust: I deserve someone more beautiful than the wife I currently have.

Sloth: That work is below me; someone else can do it.

Wrath: How dare he say that to me!? Does he think he's better than me?

Envy: I want what she has, and it should be mine because I am a better person than her.

Greed: I have worked harder for this money than most other people work, so it is right I should keep all of it to myself.

Gluttony: Everything I want, I should have.

Ebenezer Scrooge

Scrooge McDuck

(Are these Scrooges symbols of Greed, or of our own Envy?)

There is good a reason The First Commandment is "Thou Shalt Have No Other God Before Me."

As I interpret it, humans are prone to worship and work for human things whether it be amassing wealth or defending one's own righteous indignation against people who disagree with you. Idol worship, which literally means the worship of images of god, gods, goddesses, saints, etc., is forbidden in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. But idol worship in its essence is about putting the base over the divine, even if you think you are worshipping the divine—example, wearing a cross and going to church but not following Jesus' example of compassion toward fellow humans, especially "undesirable" humans.

To Err is Human; To Forgive, Divine

The Commandment exhorts us to keep our minds looking up at the Divine, not what's below on Earth—whether material things, our own pet theories, or hatred for those different than ourselves. Looking up at the Divine can mean worship, or it can mean trying to bring your best self forward and looking for the good in others too, depending on your belief system.

I am asking myself this: am I committing Sloth by writing instead of doing necessary household tasks? It feels like I am. But one could see it as the virtue of Diligence to create content that may be interesting to others. (My butt hurts from sitting so long, so probably there's my answer.) Religion is our attempt to tease apart these questions.

Lady Reclining on Couch, 1885-1890, Rizos Ιakovo

Pride is what makes us focus on the sins of others, rather than our own. It is a lot easier to convince yourself you're a Good Person™ when you can look at all the "bad" people around you. Thinking you know better what other people should do or think—that is Pride. But you should not take this as a chastisement. There is no hell except on Earth, and it can be hell to feel alone in your suffering. When you see other people and yourself as equals—all trying to do their best to deal with the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" (Hamlet, Act III, Scene I)—you suddenly have unlimited company in your sorrows.

In the end, the Seven Deadly Sins are not sins against God, but rather against ourselves. Want to be happier? Cultivate Heavenly Virtues, starting with the Humility to admit most other people are just as good (or bad) as you, and take philanthropist and philanderer Ben Franklin's advice: “We must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

Now "go forth and sin no more" (we all know we will, because man is born to sin as the sparks fly upwards [Job, 5:7], or in other words, nobody's perfect).

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