[...]... and then by John of Cassius In the sixth century, Gregory the Great formulated the traditional seven The sins were ranked by increasing severity, and judged to be the greatest offenses to the soul and the root of all other sins As certain sins were subsumed into others and similar terms were used interchangeably according to theological review, the list evolved to include the seven as we know them:... punishments in hell for the deadly offenses Through history, the famous list has emerged in theological and philosophical tracts, psychology, politics, social criticism, popular culture, and art and literature Whether the deadly seven to you represent the most common human foibles or more serious spiritual shortcomings, they stir the imagination and evoke the inevitable question—what is your deadly sin? Our... learn to ski for the gold in the Olympics? First of all, Olympic skiers burn out by age forty and become drunken ski instructors at two-star resorts in Gstaad The sloth mind-set lets you know from the giddyap that the gladiators of the world are fine for entertainment, but they are no role models The Sloth Mantra All right, enough preaching When am I going to get to the diet? Where’s the Sloth Plan I can... that they would begin to find you too self-involved to become intimate with In other words, the low-fat, thigh-exercise diet would make you just plain flat Sloth, on the other hand, is guaranteed to keep you well rounded Followers of the Sloth Plan are never obsessed with their exercise schedule, because they are always resting C’mon, tell me the truth Who’s sexier? A ninety-pound movie star on the. .. Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Anger, and Sloth To counter these violations, Christian theologians classified the Seven Heavenly Virtues the cardinal: Prudence, Temperance, Justice, Fortitude, and the theological: Faith, Hope, and Charity The sins inspired medieval and Renaissance writers including Chaucer, Dante, and Spenser, who personified the seven in rich and memorable characters Depictions... children at Yale The Sloth Plan says have the courage to look should in the face and say, “Go to hell! I’m not getting up for you!” And the energy you’ll save by lying around and not fulfilling anyone’s expectations, 4 WHY SL O TH WORK S even your own, will make you feel years younger Everyone who has converted to the Sloth Plan is reenergized because, for the first time in their lives, they have the confidence... to chart the ways we have approached and understood evil, one deadly sin at a time Through both historical and contemporary explorations, each writer finds the conceptual and practical challenges that a deadly sin poses to spirituality, ethics, and everyday life The notion of the Seven Deadly Sins did not originate in the Bible Sources identify early lists of transgressions classified in the fourth...CHAPTER EIGHT Phase Two: In the Swing 63 CHAPTER NINE Plateaus 69 CHAPTER TEN Maintaining Your Sloth 75 CHAPTER ELEVEN Medical Breakthrough: Sloth Is the Way to Good Health! 85 CHAPTER TWELVE A Pause in the Proceeding 99 CHAPTER THIRTEEN Überslothdom APPENDIX 103 111 Editor’s Note This volume is part of a lecture and book series on the Seven Deadly Sins cosponsored by The New York Public Library and... plans, the second picture can be you There is no reason to glow with health and achievement Glowing takes work From this moment on, I want you to have the will to say “no” to “glow.” This is the twenty-first century We are more than a century past the Victorians and the suffragettes It is time to redefine human potential It is time to embrace sloth Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter Sloth I promise you the sloth. .. approach is the most successful lifemaintenance program So many of us waste our time being angry at our bosses, our families, our president, or even our God The Sloth Plan, on the other hand, helps us to accept that there is no real hope 8 WHY SL O TH WORK S for change Power is in the hands of an elite, entitled few, and there is no reason to waste our lives howling in the wilderness In other words, . and then by John of Cassius. In the sixth century, Gregory the Great formulated the traditional seven. The sins were ranked by increasing severity, and judged to be the greatest offenses to the. soul and the root of all other sins. As certain sins were subsumed into others and similar terms were used interchangeably according to theological review, the list evolved to include the seven. literature. Whether the deadly seven to you represent the most common human foibles or more serious spiritual shortcomings, they stir the imagination and evoke the inevitable question—what is your deadly