I received my latest issue of Mental Floss last week and one of the topics covered was the The Seven Deadlies. To sum it up none of the seven sins:Sloth,Gluttony,Envy,Greed,Lust,Wrath,and Pride were all that bad when looked at in an objective way. First covered was sloth which according to studies is linked to genetics but they also found that people that worked harder were more likely to develop several disorders not normally found in your basic couch potato. Gluttony didn't fair quite as well,but it was sighted that in caveman days the gluttony probably saved lives in times of little hunting,plus politicians that are portly are thought to be more trust worthy. Envy turns out to be the driving force behind all kinds of different improvements,and not just individually but for countries as well. Greed was pretty much on the same level as envy and plays an essential part in that driving force that can keep a person alive,but probably not all that popular with their peers. Both envy and greed can be seen in the brain on an MRI. Lust,once again good for your health, people that have regular sex live two years longer on average than those who don't,plus an after affect is it keeps people calm. Wrath hones your analytical skills because it forces people to ignore irrelevant details. Pride,which is considered a big one of the seven,is not only natural but also necessary. It cause people to feel confident and they tend to take charge and think of themselves as good,people with less pride lean more toward depression.
Now that you have another point of view on the sins you might want to rethink a few of them!
Now that you have another point of view on the sins you might want to rethink a few of them!
not to be critical but to impart another perspective - one that might not be represented in our beloved Mental Floss - the seven deadly sins are basically some tenants to NOT live by. Old Testament stuff is very high drama and do or die, lots of an "eye for an eye", etc. The practical/objective slant to the "Seven Deadly Sins" is the correct one - but back in the day (oh, let's say Abraham's time, lol) that kind of stuff didn't go over as well as the other much more black/white versions. The general public was poor and relatively uneducated so the high drama version is much easier to remember and use by the educated but mean elders and leaders who wanted to keep the general public poor and needy.
ReplyDeleteMy simplification is probably lacking in a few spots, but I think I am hitting the important notes.
If we go back in time to other categories, the same pattern is visible. Keep the poor uneducated, etc. and give them scary stories to keep them in line. Practicality and living life was so hard that it is easy to believe the scary/high drama ways used were also a tich entertaining.....???