The harm of sloth that casts life into darkness

Apparently it doesn't bother anyone. It's harmless in its inactivity, in that quiet, carefree life that allows it to float in any swamp. And instead theslothful It causes harm, as well as wasting its own qualities, at least those that exist. An 1859 classic, Oblomov, written by Ivan Aleksandric Goncharov, is a book I recommend to everyone because it paints, in every detail, the eternal figure of the slothful. And it tells how his personal drift accompany, in a sort of macabre funeral march, the demise of a company, the weakening of those vital energies, without which, sooner or later, an entire country, or more simply a community of men and women, collapses. As happened in Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century. Perhaps because I was born in the South, where the species is very widespread, but I must say that I have never liked slothful people. I have always struggled to justify them. And not because of a moralistic judgment, but because of the amount of damage, of waste, which I have always connected, almost automatically, to this capital sinThe other six (pride, envy, anger, gluttony, avarice, and lust) I consider all less serious and more understandable.

The worst of the deadly sins

The slothful is a enemy of doingAnd he's an enemy always ready to take the field against those who do. He has no desires, no wishes, no impulses: mixes boredom and indifference, cynicism and detachmentThere is something in this attitude that goes far beyond daily indolence, a form of laziness that each of us carries within us (who doesn't like to laze around in bed?). No, here we are dealing with life that is denied, and therefore wasted. Sloth is also a sign of super ego, an arrogant way of distancing oneself from others, of getting one's hands dirty by empathizing with the stories that surround us. And it's embedded in the recurring question, evoking opportunism: "Do I do it or not?" A way to never risk anything, to live off the profits, benefiting from the energy others bring to the table.

The damages

Finally, sloth is like diabetes in medicine: a disease that triggers othersDante rightly placed the slothful in a circle of hell close to that of the wrathful: note, sloth is always accompanied by recurring forms of anger, of contempt for others. And this too is a great waste of life.

What is the opposite of sloth?

The true opposite of sloth is a verb: to act. To do things, or at least try. Without wasting time and energy on indecision. and in the eternal procrastinationWhile the slothful person cowardly flees from his responsibilities, the person who acts also has the courage to take risks and does not live by the walls. If sloth is indolence and negligence, its opposite is industriousness, Concern, and not only for oneself, but also for others. The slothful trample on life; those who do not suffer from this vice are destined to exalt it.

Famous quotes

He who cannot experience awe and wonder is already dead. (Albert Einstein)

Sloth closes our eyes, making us blind. We can no longer see anything but the ordinary, we are no longer capable of savoring the pleasure of amazement and wonder. Life fades away, and we don't even know it. (Jean-Paul Sartre)

They're called guilt feelings: you do nothing, you sink into sloth, and somewhere in your unconscious, you even feel guilt that isn't yours. You can no longer distinguish truth from falsehood, what you should do from what you can't. You proceed by automatisms, not by free choice.

The risk of new social divisions

Read also:

• Complaining is completely useless
• Forgiveness: it takes time but it's worth it
• You can never have too much patience
• Fragility can make you very strong

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