Sloth pt. 2

I made you wait a long time for Sloth, I know. Things have been hectic, and roller-coastery with me lately. So I've been the very opposite of sloth, actually. I did my spring cleaning in anticipation of my mother-in-law's visit. My spring cleaning involves steaming carpets, cleaning baseboards, washing walls and light fixtures, bleaching the heck out of everything, and vacuuming corners and crevices with the hose attachment. It's a big effing deal. I also completed a super huge painting for my mom, who commissioned it for her remodeled dining room. My area of expertise is at about 5x7, and she wanted 60x30. Needless to say, I painted and hated it, painted over it and hated that, and finally settled on something after the third try. I don't think I'll ever work that big again.

But anyway, on to Sloth, the final mortal sin.

Sloth is about indifference, about not caring. But most people know the association with laziness. I think it has to do with that whole "idle hands" thing. That if you aren't industrious, Satan will make some work for you, and it will be baaaad. It probably was a way to treat depression in ancient times. Nothing gets you out of a depressive disorder like knowing it's a sin that will get you into hell!

The punishment for sloth in hell is being thrown into snake pits. That actually makes sense, because in a snake pit, you can't be indifferent or lazy, you're jumping all over the place trying to save your life, right? Only you don't ever get out of the pit. So you have to be on alert forever. Excellent punishment, one of the better matched up ones, I think.

I have, of course, been guilty of this one. I've been lazy, mostly. I could do a lot more with my time, and I have battled with depression. Really, depression is the root cause of my slothy ways. Not eating right, not exercising, not wanting to tackle the tough project of the dissertation. All of it has its root in depression. And then the ensuing guilt trip for being so lazy all the time brings you full circle. I've been crawling out of it, but it's still nagging at me.

Ever since I was a teenager, my family has referred to me as lazy. Now, I was the first teenager in the family-no older cousins or siblings-so maybe they were just shocked at how much sleep and crabbiness could come from one person. I didn't think I was that lazy, but their perspective really effected me. I don't know if people I know today would call me lazy. I certainly tried to fight against that label for a long time. I graduated college in 4 years, even though it took a double unit load in my last semester, because I thought an extra year would be thought of as lazy and wasteful. I have worked fairly consistently through college and grad school. I have had two jobs while doing PhD course work.

Once I was studying for some kind of PhD-related exam that I had to take the same day and my mom got a big dresser delivered. She and my brothers brought it in and marveled at my laziness for not realizing what was going on and that I should jump up and help. I really didn't realize what they were doing. I was so freaked out about messing up on the exam. Lazy? I'm still on the fence about it. Would it have really been a big deal to take 10 minutes out of my day to help? Was I really unable to notice them or did I just not want to notice them?

I keep my house tidy and make sure to keep track of everyone's birthdays. I send gifts for baby showers and weddings on time. My holiday cards go out early. I have a pet peeve about lateness, so I am always on time for everything. I try hard not to be lazy, but I think that ultimately, I have yet to shake of the label and the guilt that goes with it.



Now vampires and sloth are hard to put together. I mean, yeah, they tend to be indifferent to human life, but lazy? Not really. Maybe in the True Blood universe, where vampires reflect the spectrum of human qualities, but elsewhere, vamps are pretty much go-getters. They have to look for blood all the time, and not get caught during/after drinking. They have to evade vampire hunters and competing vampires. Much like sharks, they are always moving, always on the hunt. Except for daytime, when they are mostly dead. Some vampires can stay awake during the day. If I remember correctly, Angel spent a lot of daytime brooding. Most of them are dead in coffins during the day, though. Maybe the lack of day-time industriousness is enough of a qualification?

Seriously? Get up and get to work already!

Now that the sins have been explored, I realize that of them all, my favorite is lust and least favorite is greed. My most-often-committed is probably sloth or pride. I think these sin lists have done more harm than good, because they ultimately set a strict standard that punishes everyone for just feeling negative feelings. But they do give us some insight into the characteristics deemed most damaging in western culture.

Not surprisingly, it seems that vampires are used as the embodiment of our most denigrated qualities. They reflect the aspects of humanity that both fascinate and repel us, sometimes all wrapped up in the same character. They have always been scapegoats and metaphors, so it should be no surprise. I nominate Eddie for laziest vampire. Clearly depressed and self-loathing, Eddie traded his blood for love and didn't even have the energy to update his mid-80s decor. He didn't even put the effort forth to learn how to glamour. Don't let this happen to you!