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The Seven Deadly Sins
The seven deadly sins have nothing to do with major acts of violence
or social disruption – such as murder or rape or terror or child
abuse. Those acts alone, in the singular, set one off on a whole different
level of anti-social behavior.
The seven deadly sins, on the other hand, have their greatest affect
on you the individual practioner. When you open yourself up to envy,
greed, pride, etc. they readily take up residence within your heart.
They make themselves at home, becoming a significant part of who you
are, of how you see and are seen by the world. In many ways they are
far more insidious and deadly than any of the single acts noted above.
They are called deadly because they kill off so much of what is good
in you. An important thought to keep in mind as you strive to fill
your days with a Passion For Life.
| Killer |
What it Kills |
| PRIDE |
HUMILITY |
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Humility is seeing ourselves as we are and not comparing ourselves
to others. Pride and vanity are competitive. If someone else's
pride really bothers you, then you have a lot of pride. |
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| GREED |
GENEROSITY |
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Greed is about a lot more than just money. Greed wants to
get its "fair share" or a bit more. Generosity means
letting others get the credit or praise. It is giving without
having expectations of the other person. |
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| ANGER |
COMPASSION |
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Anger is often our first reaction to the problems of others.
Impatience with the faults of others is related to this. Compassion
means taking the tender approach, with patience and kindness.
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| ENVY |
LOVE |
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"Love is patient, love is kind…" Love actively
seeks the good of others for their sake. Envy resents the good
others receive or even might receive. At times, envy is almost
indistinguishable from pride. |
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| LUST |
SELF-CONTROL |
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Lust is the self-destructive drive for pleasure out of proportion
to its worth. Sex, power, or image can be used well, but they
tend to go out of control. Self control and self mastery prevent
pleasure from killing the soul by suffocation. Legitimate pleasures
are controlled in the same way an athlete's muscles are: for
maximum efficiency without damage. |
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| GLUTTONY |
TEMPERANCE |
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Temperance accepts the natural limits of pleasures and preserves
this natural balance. This does not pertain only to food, but
to entertainment and other legitimate goods, and even the company
of others. |
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| SLOTH |
PASSION |
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Passion is the energetic response of the heart to the possibilities
in the world around. The other sins work together to deaden
the spiritual senses so we first become slow to respond, and
then drift completely into the sleep of complacency. |
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