SEVEN DEADLY SINS

[MajestyJo]

SEVEN DEADLY SINS

These considerations were taken from pages 48, 49, 66 & 67 of the Twelve and Twelve

The bold type presents definitions from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.



PRIDE: An over high opinion of oneself; exaggerated self-esteem; conceit, arrogance, vanity, self-satisfaction.



1)Have I been so proud that I've been scorned (disrespected) as abraggar(bragger)?

2)Have I acted prideful, consciously or unconsciously out of fear?

3)Have I used pride to justify my excesses in my sex conduct?

4)Do I like to feel and act superior to others?



GREED: Excessive desire for acquiring or having; desire for more than one needs or deserves.



1)Have I been so greedy that I've been or could be labeled a thief?

2)Do I long for the possessions of others out of fear of not getting enough?

3)Do I let greed masquerade as ambition?



LUST: To feel an intense desire, especially sexual desire; to long: after or for.


1)Have I been lustful enough to rape, if not physically what about in my mind?

2)Do I fear I will never have the sex relations I need?

3)Do I have sex excursions that have been dressed up in dreams or delusions of romance?



ANGER: A strong feeling excited by a real or supposed injury; often accompanied by a desire to take vengeance, or to obtain satisfaction from the offending party; resentment; wrath.



1)Have I been angry enough to murder?

2)Do I get angry out of fear when my instinctive demands are threatened?

3)Have I enjoyed self-righteous anger in the fact that many people annoy me and that makes me superior to them?

4)Have I enjoyed gossiping as a polite form of murder by character assassination?



GLUTTONY: One who eats too much. One with a great capacity for something; as, a glutton for work.

1)Have I been gluttonous enough to ruin my health?

2)Do I grab for everything I can, fearing I'll never have enough?

3)Do I bury myself in my work, hobbies or activities?



ENVY: To resent another for excellence or superiority in any way, and to be desirous of acquiring it.



1)Do I agonized over the chronic (persistent or recurring) pain of envy?

2)Does seeing the ambitions of others materialize make me fear that mine haven't?

3)Do I suffer from never being satisfied with what I have?

4)Have I spent more time wishing for what others have than working towards them?



SLOTH: Disinclination to action or labor; sluggishness; habitual indolence; laziness, idleness; slowness; delay.



1)Have I been paralyzed by sloth?

2)Do I get alarmed with fear at the prospect of work?

3)Do I work hard with no better motive than to be secure and slothful later on?

4)Do I loaf and procrastinate?

5)Do I work grudgingly and under half steam?



http://www.thejaywalker.com

[mike5335]

Thanks Jo.

I find all those sins in me. Maybe not all at once but I'm no stranger to any of them.

You gave an accurate dictionary definition of pride: PRIDE: An over high opinion of oneself; exaggerated self-esteem; conceit, arrogance, vanity, self-satisfaction.

But there is also another meaning: "a reasonable or justifiable self-respect" (from Merriam-Webster's online dictionary).

So, when I think of pride as a deadly sin or, even as a negative quality, I remember to put the word "false" (as in false pride) in front of it.

That reminds me that it is OK to get some esteem by doing something well but that, like most of my instincts, I need to be mindful of how I'm being impacted and how I'm affecting the world around me.

So, for me, it is OK to be proud of my roses if I've spent days/weeks/months nurturing them but not OK to be proud of them if I stole the money to pay the gardener to take care of them. Boasting is never good for me but having a realistic assessment of myself is.

Thanks for sharing.

[MajestyJo]

Glad you liked. I didn't write it, it was on one of my sites. It was sent to me.

I can identify with the false thing. False pride, false sense of responsibility, guilt, etc.

It helps when we can get honest with ourselves. Sometimes we just need to have something put before us and we can see our reflection in it.